Balance
by MCmondo
Summary: There is a fragile balance between work and family. If there was ever a threat to their current happiness, it was the job. T/Z future family fic.
1. Chapter 1

**I've kind of hit a wall with my 'Delirious' story, but still promise to finish it. Meanwhile, the idea for this fic had been in my head for a while. It's set in the future and involves a Tony and Ziva offspring. It starts off fluffy, but I promise there will be an actual point to it as the chapters progress. Hope you enjoy**

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If you ever asked Anthony DiNozzo what his proudest moment was, he wouldn't know what to tell you. There was a fairly vast sum of events and achievements that he looked back on proudly. Whether it was the moment he was handed his first NCIS badge, or when he watched the love of his life walk down the aisle towards him at their wedding, he always enjoyed the bright and welcome feeling of pride whenever it spread through his heart. Overall, he was proud of himself for what he'd done with his life. A crazy and complicated Israeli woman became his partner a long time ago, and she involuntarily changed his entire outlook. The process of him growing up coincided with the process of him falling in love with this woman. Honestly, he was immeasurably more proud of Ziva than he was of himself. She'd turned her own life around as well as his. Becoming an American citizen and transforming from an expendable soldier into a loving wife and mother was a long and difficult process, but she pulled it off. Tony would never forget the wonderful moment after she'd endured the pain of childbirth and was handed her baby girl for the first time. He couldn't believe how strong she was. It could easily have been argued that his proudest moment was right then: when they'd finally become parents.

But his daughter seemed to make it her mission to beat it ever since. Her first crawl, her first words, her first steps, that infectious smile she gave him when he returned home from work. All these memories and characteristics never ceased to make him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Little Liana was his greatest source of pride for sure. So, as he watched her playing in the park near their home, he couldn't help but smile. She was helping a younger boy to climb up the steps for the slide. Her patience and compassion definitely came from her mother. As did the dark, curly hair and deep brown eyes. Appearance wise, she was all Ziva. That was until she showcased her toothy grin, which was quite often. He couldn't believe it was almost four years since she entered his life and immediately became the focal point of it. He didn't even know it was possible to love someone as much as he loved his child.

He leaned in the shade of a nearby tree as he looked over at Lia being the kind and gentle soul she'd always been. Ziva stood a few feet away, watchfully protecting her offspring with a big smile. Motherhood suited her in Tony's eyes. She was just so happy these days. His little princess finally got her friend to the top of the slide and encouraged him to begin his much faster descent. He seemed to enjoy it, and she gave him an enthusiastic clap as she giggled down at him. His heart, once again, warmed at the sight. That was _his_ girl. That was his very own baby up there and, god, he couldn't possibly feel more proud than this. What was his proudest moment? Pretty much every second of her life. Lia herself then slid down with a delighted squeal. Her mother approached her, beaming gleefully as she pulled the child into a tight embrace.

Tony had left work earlier than he initially expected, and decided to surprise his beautiful women by showing up at the park on the way home. He started making his way over to them after Ziva had escorted Lia over to a shaded picnic bench and handed her a carton of juice. His daughter was happily slurping away at her straw when he entered her line of vision. His heart skipped a beat when he watched her face light up upon seeing him. His own trademark DiNozzo grin spread across her face, before she excitedly placed her juice box down and ran towards him. Ziva's confused expression turned in to one of pleasant surprise as she turned her head in his direction.

''Daddy!'' Lia greeted giddily, as her little legs eventually transported her fully across the distance between her and her father.

He crouched down just in time to wrap his arms around her in a tight hug when she jumped at him. ''How's my little Liana banana?'' He asked after placing a soft kiss to the crown of her head. He basked in the overwhelmingly bright feeling of joy he always felt in her presence.

She gave him a proud smile. ''Momma took me to the park 'cause I was a good girl.''

He brushed a few loose curls behind her ear with raised eyebrows. ''You were?''

She nodded. ''Uh-huh. I helped her do the flowers.''

He guessed that meant she helped with the gardening that Ziva had mentioned needed to be done a few times that week. ''Wow. Does the garden look all pretty now?'' He asked, just as his wife arrived at his side.

''Yeah.'' Lia replied, before looking up at her mom with wide eyes. ''Momma, we gotta show Daddy the flowers!'' She stated in a serious tone.

''We will show him when we get home, my love.'' Ziva ensured her softly.

Tony stood back up and turned to face his Israeli companion. ''Hi.'' He belatedly greeted with a large smile.

She gave him a quick kiss, but her brow was furrowed in apparent curiosity. ''You are early.'' She pointed out. ''Did you close the case?''

He sighed heavily. ''Not yet. But we've made a few breaks.''

She nodded in acknowledgment. ''I was not expecting to see you while the sun was still up.''

He chuckled warmly. ''It's a Friday, and I wanted to see my girls. I hear the little munchkin's been playing gardener.''

Ziva smiled and reached down to run her hand through Liana's curls. ''You were very helpful for Momma weren't you, my little angel?''

The little angel in question beamed up at her parents and nodded enthusiastically. ''Uncle Gibbs gave me a ice cream.''

The proud mother crouched down to Liana's eye level. ''That is because he was very impressed with your work.'' She informed the toddler, before kissing her cheek. ''I was too.''

The youngest DiNozzo's smile continued to light up her gorgeous features. It fell, though, when she span away from Ziva and tugged at her dad's trouser leg. He looked down and met a familiar set of serious brown orbs. ''Gibbs says you gotta give him beer, Daddy.''

His eyes narrowed, before he looked back to Ziva questioningly. She simply raised a single eyebrow as the corners of her mouth lifted in small smirk. ''He believes it is fair payment for all the work he has helped with around the house.'' She filled him in. ''I think it is a good deal.''

''And there I was thinking he just wanted to spend some quality time with me.'' He joked with a mock frown.

''I am sure that is the actual reason.'' She assured him with a soft pat to the chest. ''He is worried you have been overworking yourself recently.''

''He's one to talk.''

She tilted her head and gave him a gentle look of admonishment. ''He does not have a loving family at home.''

His brow furrowed. ''I have a _loving_ family?'' He teased, before pretending to look around. ''Where? I'd like to meet them.''

She slapped his torso with the back of her hand, but couldn't help but smile at his typical sense of humor. He obviously didn't have to reassure her that he was just joking, not with words anyway, but he still felt the need to confirm the fact, though. So he leaned in and gave her a warm, deep kiss. The breathtaking encounter reminded him that he'd hardly seen her all week. That sad thought kick-started a feeling of determination within him. He would make sure to spend some quality time with her over the weekend if he could. This case his team was working on could wait. She came first. She _always_ came first.

He was snapped out of being lost in Ziva's heated gaze when Lia started giggling. ''You only gots one family, Daddy!'' She reminded him in an overly amused tone. ''You're silly!''

He smiled down at the little girl, just as her mother started chuckling at him. ''Oh, I'm silly am I?'' He crouched down and picked Lia up. She let out a good natured screech and her laughter increased in volume after he mercilessly started tickling her. ''Is daddy silly, huh? Is tickling you silly?''

She threw her head back and squealed into the sky. ''Yes!'' She managed to answer between giggles. ''Momma!'' She pleaded, as her hand reached out for her mother's assistance.

Ziva watched on with a soft smile. She always loved watching the way Tony interacted with Lia. She was always convinced he would be a good father. Of course- with him being _Tony-_ he was extremely anxious and nervous in the late months of her pregnancy. The idea of having a little person looking up to and completely relying on him seemed to terrify the man. But, from the moment this precious girl entered their lives, his fears disappeared. He had immediately adapted to the responsibilities of being a dad, and she could tell his whole world had begun to revolve around Lia as soon as he laid eyes on her. One thing she could never get enough of was hearing her child laugh. It was such a joyful, innocent sound that never failed to brighten her day, and Tony could always elicit it from her. Even if he'd been in a terrible mood or was tired to the bone from a hard week of work, he would always find it within himself to spend time with her. And, of course, the little girl absolutely adored him for it.

''Let the child breath, Tony.'' She gently implored. He stopped the tickling his daughter, but then slung her over his shoulder. Ziva's smile grew when Lia started giggling again. It had taken her a few years to accept that he was never hurting their baby when he handled her like this. His hands were fast, but also careful and incredibly gentle. However, there was still a small feeling of panic within her that she could never fully ignore whenever there was even the tiniest hint of a potential threat to her daughter' safety. She supposed it would never go away. It was just part of being a mother.

''I was wondering if you could help me, Ziva.'' Tony joked as he span back in her direction, little legs kicking the air in front of his face. ''You see, I found this crazy little girl here,'' He rotated himself to showcase Lia's head. It was just about possible to make out her grinning face amongst the mess of brown curls. ''and I have no idea what to do with her.''

''I'm not crazy! Daddy's crazy!'' She informed her mom after another fit of giggles.

Ziva approached Tony's back and leaned in to whisper to her. ''I know he is.'' She assured the child in a loud enough voice for her husband to hear. ''I think daddy needs Uncle Gibbs to hit him on the head again, don't you?''

Lia nodded with a mischievous grin. ''Then he say: _sorry boss_.'' Ziva involuntarily snorted at her daughter's little impression of Tony. She'd clearly witnessed her fair share of Gibbs-slaps in her short life.

''You're wishing physical harm upon me?'' Her childish father spoke up, before placing the mini-ninja back on the ground. ''You really _are_ just like your mother.'' That earned him another back-handed slap from Ziva, this time to the shoulder. ''Ouch! See what I mean, Lia? You happy now?''

She nodded back up at him; her smile was now down right smug. He could tell by the glint in her eyes that she was up to something. ''Oh, I know that look.'' His eyes narrowed as he looked to Ziva and back. ''What did you do? You rip my jacket or something?''

Her smile grew, but she shook her head slowly. ''No.''

He finally noticed that her hands were hidden behind her back, a clear sign of guilt if ever he saw one. ''What you got there, missy?'' He asked with a furrowed brow.

''I got your phone!'' She announced tauntingly, and then proceeded to wave it in the air triumphantly. He was almost too shocked to react. How the hell had she managed that? He watched on in awe as she raised the cell to her ear and pretended to speak into it. ''Hi, I'm agent Nozzo.'' She greeted in her deepest voice. ''I get bad guys then come home and snore on the couch.''

Ziva couldn't hold back the laughter, but Tony's brow furrowed. ''Hey, give that back.'' He ordered, but with no real sincerity. He reached out to grab the device from her hand but she was too fast. She held it away from him as she wore her genetic, toothy smile. '

'You gotsa push me on the swings first.''

Before he could argue, or even agree, Lia span away and ran off in the direction of the playground. His jaw dropped before he turned a surprised look at Ziva. ''The nerve of that girl.'' He stated in disbelief.

She smiled fondly in the direction of her daughter. ''See, she is more like you than you think.'' Her soft tone suggested she wasn't exactly disappointed with that.

''Well, she's definitely got your stealthy super powers.'' He replied with a wink. He leaned over to give her another quick kiss. She smiled warmly, but for the first time that evening he could see the exhaustion in her eyes. He could even feel the stressful tension in her muscles when he placed a comforting hand over her arm. ''I can take her home later if you wanna go put your feet up for a few hours.'' He suggested, as he rubbed her shoulder gently with his thumb.

She sighed. ''We actually walked here. I need to do some grocery shopping as well; the kitchen is pretty much empty. Putting my feet up seems a bit unlikely at the moment.''

His face melted into one of intimate sympathy. ''I'll drive you both home, and we can drop by the store on the way. Little miss adventurer over there will probably run off again and get lost, so two pairs of eyes are better than one.''

She smiled in thanks before, once again, looking over to Lia with a fond but somewhat troubled expression. ''She just keeps on going, Tony. _All_ day. I cannot keep up with her anymore.''

He nodded in understanding. ''She's a trooper. But she's healthy and happy. That's all I care about.''

''Daddy!'' Lia's voice met his ears from across the park. He turned his head to see her waving him over. His cell phone was now lying on the floor by her feet and her stationary hand was being use to point at the seat of her chosen swing.

''That's my cue.'' He set off in the direction of his downed phone and the little bundle of energy standing by it.

''Do not let her wear you out too much, Tony.'' Ziva called out, before going to gather up her bag of Liana-taming supplies.

 **...**

Friday night in the DiNozzo household was one of tradition. Well, at least, it was whenever Tony and Ziva were both actually home. If that was the case, they would enjoy a family meal before settling down to watch a movie in the living room. Of course, with Lia being involved, the films were always child-friendly. That never stopped the man of the house from watching it with an almost juvenile level of enthusiasm. Like her father, Lia got lost in the world of cinema and would watch with wide eyes as the plot unfolded. On this particular Friday evening, the smallest member of the family sat between her parents as a bowl of popcorn was shared between three pairs of hands. Ziva never really cared about the movie itself, but did enjoy the warm and snuggly atmosphere. It was all too rare for the whole family to be together and, temporarily, have nothing to be stressed or worked-up about. There was nothing to be done except just sit there in each other's company.

''Daddy,'' Lia's little voice interrupted the previous contented silence.

His eyes left the screen as he turned to look down at her. The look of brow-furrowing consideration on her face made it almost feel like he was looking at Ziva from across the bullpen. ''Yessy.''

''Why's Boo not scared of Kitty?''

His own face contorted into mild confusion at that question. ''She's not really scared of any of the monsters.'' He answered in his wise _Dad_ tone. ''I think she's just very brave.''

She turned her head from the screen to look up at him. ''She's scared of the mean one.''

Ziva entered the conversation for the first time. ''That is Randall, yes?''

''Yeah.'' Tony and Lia both replied in unison. The curious little DiNozzo turned to her mother with wide eyes. ''He's the bad guy, momma. He wants to make Boo cry.''

The Israeli did her best to act like she actually cared about the well being of the character mentioned. ''That _is_ very mean.''

As the famous Pixar movie came to a happy close, the popcorn bowl had been abandoned and the three DiNozzos were all trying to fight off the drowsiness enveloping them. Well, two of them were. Ziva's snores could be heard well before the climax sequence. She was leaning her head on Tony's shoulder while he kept a protective and comforting arm wrapped around her frame. Their beloved daughter had just about managed stayed awake throughout the entire movie, but was now snuggled up against her father's chest and he could tell she was fighting a losing battle against the oncoming grasps of slumber. Tony knew he was ready for bed- he had been for about twelve hours, in fact- and now he knew his two curly haired companions were as well. As gently as he could, he simultaneously lifted Lia into his arms and laid Ziva down on the couch as he stood up. His wife didn't even stir; she must have been really exhausted. Usually the ex-Mossad officer was easily woken up, and her ninja senses only increased after Lia was born. She would always be ready to spring into action if it was required of her, even if she was in a deep sleep. He shrugged off the surprise at her uncharacteristic behavior and shifted the little girl, who was currently resting her head on his shoulder, into a more comfortable position.

''I think it's bed time, princess, don't you?'' He asked her, before placing a soft kiss to her head. He could see her eyes heavily drooping as she nodded against him with a small hum of agreement. ''It's a good thing you've already got your little pajamas on, huh?''

He carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. The array of toys and stuffed animals were arranged in a surprisingly neat and tidy fashion. Normally, he would literally trip up over something with every step he took in her little haven. Considering he was holding the most precious and valuable thing in the world, he was happy to find the room in such an organized state. He presumed he had a certain Israeli wife of his to thank for not falling flat on his face. He placed her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. She didn't hesitate to snuggle up to her favorite stuffed hippo (a gift from her crazy Gothic aunt).

He placed another kiss to her forehead. ''Good night, my little ninja.''

Her previously closed eyes opened suddenly as she reached out to grab his shirt sleeve with a worried look. ''Daddy, I don't want any monsters to try and scare me.'' Her gaze shifted to her closet.

He lifted her little hand up and kissed her knuckles. ''There are no monsters in this house.'' He ensured her softly. ''Me and Mom wouldn't let any come here to scare you.''

She looked back to him with a tiny little sigh escaping her lips. ''You sure?'' She asked, clearly struggling to keep her eyes open.

He smiled warmly. ''The only monster we know is your Uncle McGee, and he's definitely not scary is he?''

She let out a quiet laugh, just as he hoped. ''Uncle Gee isn't a monster!'' She informed him with a tired grin.

He chuckled. ''You don't think so?''

She shook her head. Her head dropped back to the pillow as her eyes, once again, shut. ''If any do come, they have to make me laugh now, right daddy?''

It took him a few seconds to understand what she was referring to. ''That's right. Sully made sure they don't scare kids anymore, didn't he?'' He ran a gentle hand through her hair. ''But it doesn't matter what they want. Me and your mommy will never let anyone hurt you. You remember when I said that? You're always safe with us.''

She let out a heavy yawn, but still managed to nod in acknowledgement. ''Okay. I love you, daddy.''

His face melted into a canvas of pure adoration. He would never, _ever_ get enough of his little girl telling him that. It reminded him that, so far, him and Ziva were doing a damn good job at raising this child. She was happy, healthy and loved. She would probably never truly know just how loved she actually was, but at least she returned the feelings to her parents. She seemed determined to let them know that as often as possible. ''I love you too. More than anything.'' He gave her another quick kiss to the cheek. ''Sweet dreams.''

He stood up and turned to leave the room after he was sure Lia was going to let herself sleep without any stress. He wasn't too shocked to find Ziva leaning against the door frame with a fond smile. It still made him jump a little bit, though. ''Look who's awake.'' He whispered with an affectionate smile.

She reached out and ran hand over his shoulder when he arrived to stand in front of her. ''Hopefully not for much longer.'' She replied. ''You look exhausted, Tony. I think it is time to go and tuck _ourselves_ in.''

He sighed as he nodded in agreement. ''It's been a long week.'' He turned back to look at their daughter's sleeping figure with a look Ziva recognized as self-berating. ''Do you think she's too young to have seen a movie about monsters?"

Her brow furrowed. ''It is a kids movie, Tony.''

''I know it's just…''

''You are worried that she is scared of her closet now.'' She finished the worried statement for him.

He nodded, but she had his face in her hands by the time he looked back at her. ''She was very excited about spending movie night with you.'' She informed him quietly. ''She was practically counting down the seconds until her daddy would come home with a new DVD.'' She leaned in and kissed him adoringly. ''Thank you for showing up at the park, it made her day.''

He scoffed. ''And now I've gone and given her nightmares for the next week. What a great dad I am.''

She rolled her eyes. ''She enjoyed the film, Tony. Besides, you _just_ reassured her that she was always safe and look,'' She gestured to Lia's peacefully sleeping face. ''She is already sound asleep. Stop trying to pick holes in your parenting and accept that you are doing a good job. Please.''

Her words, as always, did the job she intended them to. His self-flagellation ended as his face melted. He regarded his wife with nothing but endearment. Without her there to reassure him, he would literally never stop being anxious about how well he was raising Lia. He was so damn determined to do a better job than his own father- and Ziva's, for that matter- that he was sometimes worried that he was perhaps trying too hard. ''I just love you guys so much.'' He told her thickly. ''I don't wanna screw up.''

''I know.'' She assured him in whisper. ''You are not screwing up. Please know that I am so proud of you, Tony. I am so grateful for the man you have become. You are a wonderful father. Always remember that.''

Tears filled his eyes, before he pulled her into a tight embrace. ''You bring it out of me. Seeing how great you are as a mom- seeing how _strong_ you are- makes me determined to up my game.''

''You do not need to up it.'' She told him against his neck. ''You are perfect. Liana worships the ground you walk on.''

They pulled back and he couldn't help but notice that her own eyes had grown shiny. ''Look at us getting all emotional.'' He grinned softly. ''We must be _really_ tired. Come on.'' He took her hand in his and led them down the dimly lit hallway towards their own bedroom. They both knew they had to recharge their batteries before the morning came and their little warrior woke up. This parenting thing was hard alright, but they wouldn't trade it for anything.

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 **Hope that was a good read. There will be a lot more NCIS related plot points throughout this story, but I thought a nice intro to the family life of our favorite dynamic duo would be a god start. Bit fluffy, I know. Don't be shy, please review  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two in this little family fic of mine. Hope you enjoy  
**

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The first thing Tony noticed after he woke up wasn't the voice softly whispering to him, or even the hand gently poking his shoulder. In fact, it took a long few seconds for him to even realize he was actually awake at all. One thing he never failed to acknowledge, though, was the absence of his wife from the bed. Her welcome weight and comforting warmth were both painfully lacking on this particular Saturday morning. Her entrancingly familiar scent was the only thing that she'd left behind after she'd, presumably, went for her daily run. He let out a deep groan as he abruptly realized that his brain wasn't ready to wake up yet, but then fully opened his eyes for the first time to find out what was prodding him, and whose voice was slowly growing in volume every time they spoke.

''Daddy?''

Lia's sleepy face stared back at him. Her features brightened considerably once she'd noticed he had now returned to consciousness, and she even decided that poking him was no longer necessary. He wasn't too surprised to see her at his bedside, even at this early hour. She often enjoyed a quiet snuggle in the 'big bed' on Saturdays. It was the only morning of the week that Tony always made sure he was home for. Unless there was an urgent case, he wouldn't go back to the Navy yard until the afternoon and could therefore spend some time with his daughter. He didn't have to ask permission or explain himself to anyone, not now he was the boss. God, he loved being team leader sometimes.

''Morning, princess.'' He greeted with heavy eyelids.

She tightly clutched her toy hippo to her body and looked down at the floor. ''Is Momma running?''

''I guess so.'' He answered, just as his eyes closed again. ''You still look tired, honey-bunny. You wanna sleep in the big bed?''

She nodded slowly and answered with a quiet ' _Ken'_ before attempting to scramble up onto the mattress. Tony, once again, opened his eyes and smiled at just how close she was actually getting to making it up without assistance. He did think, in fairness, that it was quite a high bed. It wouldn't be long before her little legs would get her up there, though. He reached out gave her backside a slight push, which was sufficient enough to send her toppling face first onto the covers. She pushed herself back up and climbed along his body towards the pillows. He was either too tired to feel any of the pain her elbows and kneecaps caused, or was just used to it by now. Either way, he barely moved a muscle as she eventually settled down and snuggled up behind his back. However, he did find the energy to roll over and allow her to rest her head against his shoulder.

They were both comfortably tucked under the covers for a few more hours as they slept peacefully. Neither of them noticed Ziva entering the room and affectionately smiling in their direction before she stepped into the bathroom for a shower. A short while later, the smell of something cooking wafted its way from the kitchen, up the stairs and into the master bedroom before effectively coaxing the two sleeping DiNozzo's from their slumber. Lia was already sat up and looking pleasantly intrigued by the time Tony reopened his now far more refreshed feeling eyes.

She turned his way with an excited grin. ''Momma's making breakfast.'' She announced happily. ''Get up, daddy.'' She reached over and scrunched his cheek up in her hand, before giggling at his returning groan.

''Do me a favor and bring the food up to me, will you?'' He asked as he rolled back away from her to pretend he was going back to sleep. ''I'm comfortable.''

He knew that would get a reaction out of her, and sure enough: ''No!'' She replied with another chuckle. ''You gotsa get up or Momma will kick your butt.'' She climbed on top of him and started trying to open his eyelids.

He simply moaned in response. ''I'm so warm and comfy, but there seems to be a little bug poking me in the eyes. I think it needs to be squished.''

She laughed again, before standing up and bouncing on the mattress beside him. ''You hafta catch me first!'' She announced giddily. ''I'm gonna bounce you off the bed!''

''Oh, really?'' He swiftly sat up and grabbed her by the ankles, causing her to fall back on to the mattress with a surprised screech. ''I think you need to get a bit heavier for that, Liana-banana.'' He leaned over and started tickling her under the armpit. ''Maybe Momma's pancakes will help.'' He called out over the helpless laughter. ''Shall we find out?''

''Ken!'' She replied breathlessly.

''Okay, let's get down there.'' He stood up and gathered himself a random pair of jeans and a t-shirt to get dressed in.

He let Lia lead the way down the stairs. He knew she could manage the descent easily on her own these days, but still felt the need to keep both his eyes on her as she slowly plodded down each step. Just the simple thought of her tripping and falling made his stomach drop, so he would always ensure he was close enough to grab her if such a horrifying event transpired. Thankfully, she made it all the way down with no trouble. He watched her disappear around the corner and into the kitchen in a whirlwind of messy curls, and smiled widely as he heard the excited string of Hebrew greetings being spoken between Ziva and her daughter. He loved the ease at which their baby could switch between her two native languages, as well as the fact he could actually understand a lot of what they were saying after years of hearing their little conversations.

'' _Momma!''_

'' _Tatelah! Good morning, my little baby. Did my cooking wake you up?''_

''Uh-huh.'' Lia replied enthusiastically. _''Abba wanted to stay in bed.''_

He entered the kitchen just as his name was mentioned, and offered his girls a wide grin when he saw Ziva crouched down at Lia's eye level after, what he assumed, was a warm embrace. ''Did he now?'' His wife asked, this time in English, as she looked up at him with a teasing smile. ''I thought your father could never resist the temptation of food.''

Lia giggled. ''His belly went _grr_ 'fore he woked up.'' Her amused mother chuckled throatily at that piece of information.

''Well it was either get up and eat breakfast, or stay in bed and get jumped on all day by our little monkey here.'' He said, giving the little girl's hair a tussle for emphasis. ''Had to make a choice.'' He met Ziva's twinkling eyes as she stood up, giving her a quick peck on the lips when she reached his level. ''And the offer of food didn't hurt, I guess.''

Her mouth formed a wide smile as she gave him a gentle pat to the cheek. ''There is plenty of it. Go and sit down, it is almost ready.''

He lifted Lia into her own chair at the head of the table, before pulling out the one closest to it and parking his own derriere. He frowned when he noticed there were only two places set at the table. ''You not joining us, Ziva?'' He asked, just as she slapped a plateful of blueberry pancakes in front of him.

''I am having an early lunch with Ducky and Abby in an hour.''

He took a chunky bite out of his pancake tower and moaned as the delicious taste spread through his mouth. ''So you're saving your stomach for this kingly banquet?''

She returned to the table with Lia's much smaller batch of her impressive cooking. ''Something like that.'' She replied with a small nod. ''Besides, pancakes are very fattening. That is why I only let you…'' She gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead to emphasize who she was now addressing. ''…have pancakes as a treat. Because you are just like your daddy, who could eat all day if he was allowed to.''

Lia smiled proudly back up at her mother. ''I gotsa grow up big and strong.''

''And you will, my child.'' Ziva gave her another kiss, this time to the cheek. ''Just hopefully not too big.''

His eyes narrowed in their direction. ''I hope that _eat all day_ thing wasn't another veiled comment about my weight.''

Ziva's eyes shone with amusement when she turned her gaze back to him. ''You are the one who always brings it up, not me.''

''You _just_ did. Like a second ago.''

Her brow furrowed. ''I never said anything about you getting fat, Tony.''

''I never said _fat._ '' He lifted his fork and pointed it at her accusingly. '' _You_ just said fat. I knew it.'' He looked down at his belly and gave it an experimental pat.

Lia giggled at his antics, but Ziva managed to hold back her smile. ''No one thinks you are gaining weight, Tony.'' She assured him, though her tone still held a heavy amount of amusement. ''It is all in your head. Besides, you know me. Would I really try and beat around the bush if I thought you were getting a little…heavy?'' He simply stared back at her with trepidation. ''What? It is true.''

''I know.'' He replied, before a fond grin stretched over his face. ''It's just kinda weird hearing you get idiom's correct, that's all.''

She chuckled. ''It had to happen at some point.''

''Momma?'' Lia spoke up after a few seconds of silent eating.

Ziva brushed a few loose curls behind the child's ear. ''Yes, tatelah?''

'' _I_ think Daddy's heavy.''

Tony almost spat out his breakfast in surprise, but instead had to stop himself from choking. He was just so shocked to hear his daughter's, apparently dead serious, opinion. His wife was clearly just as taken aback by the comment, and her eyebrows rose in surprise as she failed to prevent the laughter from escaping her mouth. The little trouble-maker appeared to be completely oblivious as to why her words provoked such animated reactions out of her parents.

''It's not funny.'' She whined with pouted lips. ''He rolled over and squashed Hippo. He was too heavy to push out the way.''

The heavy man in question had just about managed to clear the pancake debris from his throat. ''Just because _you_ can't roll me over doesn't make me heavy, princess.'' He informed her defensively. ''You're just small.''

She shot him a _Ziva glare_. ''You hurted him.''

''Who?''

That comment earned him two identical angry looks from both the curly haired females in front of him. He knew Ziva's was fake, though. ''Hippo!'' They replied in unison.

His eyes narrowed slightly again. ''I hurt a cuddly toy?''

''His face got all _smushed_ up.'' Lia explained.

He shared a brief look with Ziva, who couldn't help but smile back at him from behind their daughter's head, before turning back to his accuser. ''You use him as a pillow all the time, sweetie.'' He argued in a soft tone. ''Does that not hurt him?''

''No.''

''Why not?''

She sighed heavily in such a Ziva-like manner that he honestly forgot who he was talking to for a second. ''I'm not heavy like your big butt''

His jaw dropped, just as his wife snorted out in laughter. ''Lia!'' She admonished, though there was no anger in her voice whatsoever. ''Do not be rude to your father. I'm sure he didn't mean to squash Hippo.''

Lia turned to her mother with a cheeky smirk. ''You call daddy _hairy butt_.''

''Yes, but not at the table.''

The little girl giggled. ''He got a big hairy butt.''

''Hey!'' Tony stepped in with an indignant tone. ''How come we never talk about your mom's butt? Why's it always gotta be me?''

Ziva tilted her head as she gave him a stern look of disapproval. ''I think we should just drop this entire conversation about backsides.'' She advised. ''Knowing you two, it could go on for hours.''

 **...**

The rest of the meal was spent in (relative) peace. The food was polished off hastily, and with great enthusiasm. That was often the case when Ziva fed her two hungry housemates. When she returned from upstairs after getting herself ready for her lunch date, she was pleased to see that Tony had done all the washing up. Her heart warmed as she imagined little Lia helping her father clean up all the dishes. There was no doubt in her mind that her daughter would have at least tried to do so, anyway. Lia would always try and help her father out if it meant she could spend just a little bit more time with him. She was a daddy's girl alright. Even if she did think he was too heavy. She found the two of them in the living room, eyes glued to the TV. It wasn't exactly an uncommon sight.

''Thank you for washing up, Tony.''

He glanced her way momentarily. ''Don't mention it.''

Lia's head poked around from the other side of the couch. ''I helped!'' She announced with a toothy grin.

Ziva chuckled softly. ''I thought so.''

''Got my 'jamas all wet.'' The little girl showcased the large patch of soapy water currently soaking through one of her sleeves.

''Perhaps it is time for you to get washed and dressed, baby.''

Tony seemed to snap out of his television trance as he hummed in agreement. ''Yeah.'' He muttered, giving his armpit a sniff. ''I think you're right about that one, sweetcheeks.''

She rolled her eyes. ''I was talking to Lia.'' She filled him in, a small smile appearing on her face. ''But I suppose you should get yourself ready for the day as well, _mon petit pois_.''

He grunted in acknowledgement.

''You do not seem too thrilled by the idea.''

Lia tugged on his t-shirt before he could reply. ''Daddy?'' He looked down at her with an expectant look on his face and lifted an eyebrow in question. ''Have you gotsa go to work again?''

The sad look on her little face made his chest grow tight. Clearly she didn't fancy the idea of him heading off to work, especially after a solid week of doing just that. The realization that he had pretty much been away from home between sunrise and sunset for the last five days hit him like a slap to the face. He had barely spent any time with his daughter during that time. No wonder he was in such a terrible mood in the bullpen recently. He must've made life hell for his poor probies. He looked up and shared a knowing look with Ziva who, as always, knew exactly what he was thinking. He thought he could even see a sudden glassiness in her eyes. She knew as well as him that he _did_ have to go to work. Was there really any rush, though? When he met his little girl's deep, brown eyes again, he decided there wasn't. Hell, he would only miss her as much as she missed him. He'd already told his team not to bother coming in until around midday, so he was definitely free until at least then.

''Not until later, princess.'' He answered her eventually, trying to cover the underlying emotion in his voice with hopeful optimism. ''So we can hang out for a little while if you want to.''

Her features noticeably brightened after hearing his proposition. ''Can we play outside?'' She asked with a hopeful smile.

He nodded. ''We sure can. I think it's the perfect weather to get the tricycle out. How's that sound?''

Her smile somehow grew as she jumped up in excitement. ''I love the bike! I go really fast now, Momma.'' She was already halfway out the door before either parent could react.

Ziva raised an eyebrow in amusement, but Tony could still see the concern in her eyes. ''I know you do, Lia. Please be careful.''

The energized girl poked her head back in to the room with a serious expression. ''Come on, Daddy, we gotta get dressed.'' She had disappeared again by the time the daddy in question got to his feet.

Ziva intercepted him with a gentle hand to his chest before he got to the doorway. ''Thank you for that. I know it is not easy.''

''What isn't?''

She ran her other hand over the day's old stubble on his cheek. ''Finding the right balance between work and family.'' She elaborated. ''I think you do well.''

His eyes went distant, and she knew he was berating himself again. ''Sometimes I'm not so sure.'' He confessed honestly. ''I've barely seen her this week.''

''And she has missed you. But I think she is beginning to understand how important your job is.''

He sighed heavily. ''Doesn't make it any easier.'' He saw the sympathy in her eyes. The love and understanding he'd learned to rely on over the years. Suddenly the need to hug her was overwhelming. She was right, as always. This wasn't easy. He wished he could just completely separate his home and work lives into two individual worlds. He wished he could have as much time as he needed to fully devote himself to both his professional duties and his husband/father duties. Except that couldn't happen. NCIS was his home. Ziva and Lia were his home. They had to collide and overlap at some point. If only he had superpowers. That would really, really help.

''I know.'' She acknowledged in a soft whisper. ''Perhaps you should accept the time off Vance offered you. Try and give yourself a little break.''

He rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. ''I've gotta wrap this case up first. It's a really crappy one. I'll think about taking some leave after we close it. I promise.''

''Okay.'' She nodded, before giving him a loving kiss on the cheek. ''Now get up there and get her dressed.'' She ordered, quickly swatting his backside for emphasis.

''Yes, ma'am.'' He shot back with a mock salute. ''We'll try not to wreck your pretty new flowerbeds. She sometimes likes to go dirt-biking.''

''Make sure she wears a helmet.'' She called after him and he'd turned away and disappeared into the hallway.

 **...**

Just over an hour later, the warmth of the sun was growing by the second. The steady rise in temperature seemed to bring out a not so steady rise in Lia's energy levels. She had already played about fifteen rounds of Hide and Seek with Tony in the garden- a game she was just _too_ damn good at in his not so humble opinion- before he decided to bring her little blue tricycle out of the shed for her to shoot around the patio on. Overseeing this activity was far less tiring than trying to find her creative hiding places, and he happily sat back on a deck chair with a glass of cold soda as she enthusiastically rode from place to place at an impressive speed. She really was getting very good on that thing. He briefly considered that maybe it was time to upgrade to a proper bike, but decided to discuss that with Ziva another time. Lia seemed happy enough with what she already had. After all, she never seemed to get bored of it.

She stopped in front of him and looked at him with wide, excited eyes from beneath her pink helmet. ''Watch me go down the ramp, daddy.''

''Ramp?'' He asked with a furrowed brow. ''What ramp?''

He got no reply, though. He didn't even have time to stop her before she peddled her way to the edge of the patio. The 'ramp' she mentioned was actually a concrete slope leading to side gate. He was on his feet in a panicked frenzy before he even had time to think. ''Wait, Lia! That's not safe, remember?''

It was too late. She was traveling downwards before he could catch her. He _did_ get the top of the slope just in time to see her front wheel hit a loose stone and send her and the tricycle toppling over in a heap at the bottom. His gut twisted with worry as he ran down to help her. She was whimpering, and had tears in her eyes, by the time he removed her helmet and inspected her face and head for any injuries. It seemed clear, but his heart rate was still spiking uncontrollably.

''I told you never to go down the slope, didn't I?" He reminded her with a stern look.

She sniffled before taking a few difficult breaths, and that's when the damn burst and her body started to wrack with sobs. ''I'm sorry, Daddy.'' She managed to squeeze out between the crying. He kissed her head and hugged her as tightly as he could. God, his heart actually hurt. He thought it might possibly take all day to get over this accident. ''It hurts.'' She whined after a few more choked sobs.

''What does? Where does it hurt, Lia?'' He asked with wide, scared eyes.

She lifted her elbow and showed it to him. His face fell when he saw a nasty graze that was already bleeding. Without having time to think, he lifted her up and carried her swiftly through the back door and into the kitchen. He placed her down on the counter and began rushing around from drawer to drawer trying to find the first aid kit. When he finally got hold of the damn thing, he stood in front of his daughter, who had now calmed down a little bit but still had tears leaking from her little eyes. ''Okay, baby, this is gonna sting a little bit.'' He warned her, lifting her arm out to get access to the wounded elbow. ''But it's a good sting, okay? It means I'm making your cut better.'' She didn't look happy at the idea of further pain, but did nod slowly in acceptance. She always trusted her parents. Without question. That thought made Tony's heart break a little bit. He leaned over and gave her cheek a small kiss. ''I'm sorry, sweetie.''

He then went about cleaning her graze with disinfectant, all the while offering soothing words of assurance. To her credit, she only let out the odd small whimper as she visibly fought back further tears. By the time he'd carefully placed a big, square band-aid over the cut, her eyes were completely dry. There was still a frown marring her pretty little features, though. He placed a kiss on her newly patched up elbow.

''There we go, my brave little munchkin.'' He softly told her. ''Now we've just gotta wait a few days and, when we take that off, your arm will be all better.''

She nodded again, but there was still fear in her brown orbs. ''Will it hurt when I takes it off?''

''Maybe a little bit.'' He replied honestly. ''But, you know what? I'm gonna take it off for you and make sure it doesn't hurt too bad.''

Her head bowed. ''You promise?''

''I promise.''

She still looked worried, though, when she lifted her head back up to meet his eyes. ''Will Momma be mad?''

Yes, she probably would. But only at him. ''Of course not. She'll just be glad you're okay.'' That reassurance seemed to ease her concern a little bit. He still wasn't sure he'd followed the entire parenting procedure yet, though. ''Does it hurt anywhere else?''

She shook her head. ''My butt hurts a little.''

He couldn't help but chuckle, despite everything. She had the bluntness of her mother and the inappropriateness of her father. God, he hoped she never changed. ''No talking about butts in the kitchen.'' He reminded her with a teasing smile.

To his relief, she smiled back at him. He'd rarely felt so relieved in all his life. ''We're not eating, daddy.'' She said in an amused tone.

''So that makes it okay, huh?''

Her smile grew mischievous. ''And Momma's not here.''

Just as the words left her mouth, the sound of the front door opening and shutting echoed through the house. He recognized Ziva's soft hum and light footsteps as she made way towards the kitchen, no doubt heading in the direction of the back door to check up on them. He shared a worried wince with his daughter and began bracing himself for the wrath of his angry wife. At least Lia was wearing her helmet when she fell. If she wasn't, Ziva would probably stab him after inevitably hearing about the little crash outside.

When Ziva entered the kitchen, it took her a few moments to take in what she saw. She observed her baby sat up on the counter, her husband standing in front of her with an apologetic wince and the first aid kit lying open beside them both. It didn't take long for her to start putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and the band-aid on Lia's elbow half-explained the tracks of dried tears on her little face.

''What did you do to my baby?" She asked with wide eyes and concern-fueled frown.

He jumped straight in to his own defense. '' _I_ didn't do anything. It's just a little graze, Ziva.''

She was past him and already examining her daughter before she even acknowledged his response. '' _What happened, tatelah?''_ She softly asked in Hebrew.

''Hey! You can't do that. That's not fair.'' He protested. ''Speak eng-''

He was sharply _shushed_ by Ziva, before she patiently listened for Lia's reply. It eventually came after the little girl met Tony's eyes for a few long seconds. '' _I fell off the bike.''_

'' _How?''_

'' _I went down the big slope.''_ She confessed with a guilty twist of her mouth.

Her mother sent a stern look of admonishment. '' _We have told you not to go down there, Liana. Where was your Abba?_ '' She turned back to give him a questioning glare. ''I thought you would not let her down that little hill, Tony.''

''I didn't. She did it before I could stop her.''

''I told you, we need to put a gate there or-''

''-Momma?''

She turned back to Lia after the little child's voice interrupted the oncoming argument between her parents. ''Yes, baby?''

''Don't be mad at Daddy.'' Lia implored sincerely. ''I forgotted I'm not spose'd to go down the ramp. He made my boo-boo all better.''

Ziva's face visibly softened after hearing the honest explanation. Rationally, she knew it was a bit harsh to blame Tony for this little accident. Emphasis on _little._ It could have been much worse, in truth. She was well aware of just how hard it could be to keep control of an adrenaline-fueled Lia, and that a small graze was nothing to worry about. That didn't make it any easier to fight off the immediate panic she felt when she'd first entered the room, though. She brushed the child's wild hair behind her ear, before giving her crown a brief kiss. When she turned back to her husband, he was gazing at his daughter with unguarded adoration.

''I'm sorry.'' He said after a calming sigh. ''I should've stopped it happening.''

His eyes locked with hers, and she expressed her own apologies through the silent language they'd first developed as partners. ''It is okay.'' She assured him vocally. ''You know what I'm like with Lia. I fear the worst. I cannot help it.''

''I know. I do too. But she's okay.'' His reassuring words achieved their desired objective of calming her down even further. ''You were really brave weren't you, little lion?'' Lia smiled up at her dad as he tussled her hair affectionately. He glanced at the oven clock and let out a tired sigh. ''Right, I gotta go to work.'' He placed another kiss to the crown of his offspring's curls. ''I'll be back tonight to check on your battle wound. Okay, princess?''

Lia nodded solemnly. ''Okay.'' She said in a slightly disappointed tone. ''Love you, Daddy.''

''I love you more.'' He turned to Ziva with small smirk. ''You might find an abandoned little blue bike by the side gate outside.'' He informed her with a wink. ''Sorry again, by the way.''

She leaned in and gave him a warm, soft kiss. He guessed all was forgiven. ''Be safe.'' She ordered quietly.

''Always am.''

* * *

 **More to come. Hope you liked this fluffy chapter. If you didn't, then perhaps the upcoming, less happy chapters will tickle your fancy. I'm gonna try and up the ante when it comes to the emotional side of our little DiNozzo family.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I know my updates have been slow recently, and I apologize. Thanks for your patience. Hope you enjoy this chapter**

* * *

Ziva knew there was something on his mind the moment he got home.

It was in his distant eyes, his tense jaw and the general heaviness to his mood. It was as if he was conflicted. As if he was trying to make a big choice about something. Or perhaps he'd already made the choice and now couldn't quite decide whether or not it was the right one. Whatever was going on in that head of his, she'd learned over the years that it was best to just be patient. If it was really important, he would tell her eventually. If not? Then she'd just have to try and live without solving the mystery. Nowadays, though, they were more than just partners. Their bond was as strong as it ever could be. If she _really_ wanted him to open up, she knew he would do so. If he really didn't want to talk it out, then he may just have to be mad at her for a little while.

When she found him leaning on the door frame of their daughter's bedroom, gazing emptily in the sleeping little girl's direction, she was certain that something was bothering him. She decided to take the casual, gentle approach. ''Lia tried to wait up for you, but she was too tired.'' She informed him in a hushed tone.

His head barely twitched in her direction. ''I got a little held up at work.''

''It is okay.'' She assured him, wrapping her arm around his waist and leaning her head against his shoulder. ''She is not upset. Your little girl just likes to know you have come home safely.''

That information seemed to make his face pale slightly, and he gripped her hand with an unexpected intensity. ''You know I love you, right?'' He asked in tight whisper. And there was something in his voice, something she recognized. It almost sounded as if he was about to apologize for something. ''Both of you.'' He clarified after a moment.

''I think you make that clear in everything you do, Tony.''

He sighed heavily, and she could have sworn his eyes grew a bit wet with unshed tears. ''Not everything.''

Now she was more than concerned. ''What is going on?'' She dared to ask.

''I...the case…'' He began, but couldn't quite seem to find the words he was looking for.

After closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he seemed to have composed himself. ''The case has led us to a contractor group in Afghanistan.'' He explained, as if that was terrible news. ''The dead marine was actually part of their team.''

''That is…good? You have narrowed down the list of suspects.'' She offered unsurely.

He shook his head. ''They've disappeared. Gone into hiding or something, I don't know.''

''Is anyone looking for them?''

He met her eyes for the first time that night. There was a certain darkness in his hazel orbs that suddenly had her heart squeezing with worry. ''A team's being sent out tomorrow.'' He answered, before swallowing in apparent nervousness. ''It's gonna be led by NCIS.''

It all started making sense to Ziva now. Her gut twisted with dread. ''And it is your investigation. You are the Agent in charge so…''

His head bowed, and he nodded slowly after another deep sigh. ''So I'm flying out in the morning.'' He announced in a whisper. ''Wheels up at 0800.''

Her throat had suddenly grown too tight to speak. Afghanistan was far. Really far. Not to mention dangerous. ''Where…'' She tried to ask, but couldn't quite find her voice.

''Nowhere safe.'' He replied honestly.

That did nothing to calm her racing heart. ''But…surely you get a choice in the matter?''

''I did.''

''Then why-''

''-Two of us have to go out there, Ziva.'' He interrupted. ''I can't send the probies on their own. They're just kids.''

Deep down, she understood. She really did. He had to do this. From a professional stand point, it made sense that an experienced agent and team leader like Tony should be the one to lead this little field trip. But from her perspective? This was no field trip at all. It was a huge venture to the other side of the world. He was going to enter a warzone. And he wasn't going to have her there to watch his back. Could his teammate of choice really look out for him and ensure his safety to the same extent that she did for all those years? That particular question ate away at her mind almost every day since Tony left to lead his own team. Now she found it overwhelming, and her imagination went wild with hellish pictures of him being shot at, blown up and generally suffering in the desert landscape of the Middle-East. All because he would be alone. All because none of his _real_ team would be there with him.

''Hey,'' He gently coaxed her out of her dark thoughts. ''I know you don't want me to go. I doubt Lia will either. But I've got to do this. Believe me, it took a lot of time for me to decide that.'' She hadn't realized her eyes were leaking until he gently wiped a stray tear off of her cheek with his thumb. ''I'm sorry.'' He whispered, just as their foreheads rested against each other.

She closed her eyes and tried to soak in his warm presence. It always helped to ground her. But, in this instance, her wondering thoughts turned desperate. What if he was gone for weeks? What if his calming and soothing voice didn't meet her ears for so long that she would be driven to madness? Would his side of the bed grow cold as she lay alone at night, wondering what hell-hole he was walking into thousands of miles away? What if he _never_ returned? What if his convoy was attacked and…

She didn't allow herself to delve further into that particular concept. Instead, she found herself clinging to him like her life depended on it. Their mouths crashed together as they kissed each other with sheer hunger and desperation. Neither of them really knew what was happening when he backed her down the hallway and into their own bedroom.

Clothes were shed, bodies were tangled. It was hard, needy and intense. They held on for dear life and neither ever wanted to let go. On this particular night, there was no NCIS. There was no job, no duty, no long distance cases. It was just them. Just two partners who loved and needed each other.

They had a bad track record when it came to being separated by endless ocean. Perhaps, by showing the powers to be just how strong their bond really was, they would be spared from the heartbreaking tragedy they had suffered far too often in their conjoined lives. Separation could not result in loss this time, not now there was so much more at stake.

 **...**

When he woke up at 0630 the next morning, he felt a pleasant ache throughout his whole body. He'd had this satisfied feeling before, so knew exactly what it meant. The only thing unfamiliar about this entire scenario was the heavy sense of dread and anxiety clouding his mind. He was going to get on a plane soon. A plane that would take him a long, long way away from the two people he loved more than life itself. He wasn't sure how many days he would be away for, but knew that even half a week was just _too_ long. It had to be done, though. Yes, he would be risking his life, but he'd done so hundreds of times before, right? Why did it feel like he was carrying the weight of the world with him this time?

Oh, who was he kidding? He knew exactly why.

His life was far more meaningful than it used to be. He didn't just have a few younger agents looking up to him anymore. He had a kid. He had a daughter he would walk through fire for. A little girl who relied on him- who loved him- and who's happiest moment of the day was seeing him walk through the front door. Leaving her behind was not an option. Or, at least, not one he'd ever thought about.

The soft, warm and naked Ziva lying against his chest stirred a little and brought him back to the real world. He hadn't even considered the fact that he would sleep alone, without her, for an unknown number of upcoming nights. He hated sleeping in a bed without her. _Hated_ it. He actually struggled to find any comfort whatsoever when she was absent. God, maybe he shouldn't have made this choice. His senior field agent was perfectly capable. It was just… it wasn't right sending anyone out there without their leader. He knew full well that Gibbs would have done the same. He'd even gone to the old marine for advice before making his decision. The truth was, though, that he'd already made up his mind by then, and his mentor knew it.

She was awake now, he could tell. Her breathing had become less even and peaceful. He placed a kiss on her shoulder, and she rotated herself in order to gaze up at his face. They shared a loaded look for a few moments, before she ran a hand through his hair and started kissing his chest, his cheek, his lips.

''I'm gonna come back, you know.'' His words had left his mouth before he knew it.

She sighed heavily. ''How long do you think it might take? ''

That was the million dollar question. If only he could actually answer it with any confidence. ''I don't know.'' He eventually replied. ''But I promise to be back for Lia's birthday next Tuesday.''

''What if you cannot?''

He met her familiar eyes once more, and found himself lost in the depths of them. ''I don't care if we've still got work to do; I'm coming home for it. I'd have to be dead to miss it.''

Her jaw dropped and she gave him a not so gentle slap to the arm. ''Do _not_ say that.'' She stated angrily over his yelp of pain.

''What? It's true.''

She closed her eyes and let out of string of what he assumed were Hebrew curses. When she opened them again, her eyes were pleading. ''I am trying to be calm about this, Tony. I am trying to resist the urge to literally restrain you so you will stay home. But…'' She took a deep breath to compose herself. ''But if you start saying things like that, then I'm going to have a nervous breakdown.''

His face melted as he felt his heart break a little bit at her honesty.

''Please promise me you will be careful.'' She begged in a whisper. ''Please promise you will not try and be the hero. You need to remember that there are people back home who love you and need you. If you ever get into any trouble, just think about Lia. Think about our little girl who will be waiting for you to come back safely.''

His voice was suddenly hard to find, and he felt his chest tighten with emotion. ''I will. I promise I'll be home before you know it.''

They had just begun indulging in a deep, drugging kiss when the bedroom door creaked open. They both turned their heads to see a pair of little brown eyes staring back at them. Lia was poking her head through the entryway with a look of innocent curiosity on her face. When she discovered her parents were both awake, she gave them a sleepy grin.

''Good morning, _neshomeleh.''_ Ziva greeted warmly. ''Did we wake you up?''

Lia nodded slowly as she made her way over to the side of the bed. ''I heard Daddy go _ouch.''_

Tony and his smirking wife shared a knowing look. ''Well, you're father can sometimes be a little bit…clumsy.''

''Yeah, I sure can be.'' He added with a small smile. ''Sorry, Lia.''

There didn't seem to be any hard feelings, though. Their daughter seemed to have something else on her mind. Naturally, Ziva knew what it was. ''Are you hungry, my little angel?''

''Ken.''

The loving mother reached out and brushed a few of Lia's hairs out of her face. ''Would you like me to make you some breakfast?''

The little DiNozzo nodded again. ''Yes please.''

Being very much aware that both she and Tony were still butt-naked, Ziva tried to win the couple some precious time. ''Why don't you go and get Hippo, baby.'' She suggested softly. ''We will be out in a minute.''

''Okay.'' Lia answered quietly, before turning around and pottering off in the direction of her bedroom once again.

This gave the partners a small window of opportunity. They were well accustomed to acting swiftly, so in perfect sync, they did just that. Ziva jumped up and gathered a few essential items of clothing as she ran into the en-suite bathroom, while Tony threw on some boxer shorts and a pair of random jeans. With the never regions now successfully covered, his sense of urgency had all but disappeared as he rummaged through the cupboard for a shirt, and therefore wasn't too panicked when his peripheral vision picked up the bouncing curly hair of his daughter as she re-entered the room, Hippo in hand. He offered her a casual, warm smile before he pulled an Ohio state t-shirt over himself. His smile fell slightly, though, when he acknowledged just how tight his old college attire felt.

''Are you all ready for breakfast, sweetie?'' He asked, pushing aside his weight-related insecurities.

She nodded in response, but looked somewhat confused after looking around the bedroom. ''Is Momma downstairs?''

''Um…no.'' He answered, fighting back the smile threatening to surface as the memory of a naked Ziva making a dash for the bathroom projected itself onto his brain. ''She'll be down in a minute.''

 **...**

As the clock ticked closer to eight, Ziva found herself wishing more and more that it would just stop. That somehow time would just freeze, saving both herself and the young girl sitting next to her on the couch the pain of saying good bye to most important person in their lives. The worst part was that Tony was still yet to break the news to Lia. He would probably claim that the right time to do so had yet to reveal itself, but Ziva knew he was just sparing himself the pain of looking into his daughter's eyes and telling her he had to go to work again. Not to mention that, in this case, work was half way around the world and in the middle of a war-torn country full of 'bad guys', as he always put it. Even just imagining the potential look on Lia's face after she'd been briefed on this made Ziva's chest ache with sorrow.

''Momma?''

The object of her thoughts spoke up after a few minutes of silent cartoon-watching. She could tell by the tone of her offspring's voice that something was on her mind. And it wasn't any plot related curiosities for once. ''Yes, my sweet child?''

''Daddy's big green bag is in the hall.''

Ziva's heart squeezed. Damn her daughter's observational skills. Clearly Lia had slowly begun to understand what happened whenever her or Tony's duffle bags made an appearance. Thankfully, neither of them had ever had to go too far, or be gone for too long. That didn't make either of the dedicated parents feel any less guilty about leaving the house for any number of days and nights, though. She couldn't imagine how Tony was feeling about it this time.

She could tell, by the deflated look in Lia's eyes, that she had already guessed she would not be seeing her father for at least a few days. That was an extremely long time from the little girl's perspective. ''Yes, he has packed his travel bag.'' She confirmed through a tight throat.

That brought about the uncommon, but still painfully familiar, expression of sadness to Lia's little face. ''Does that mean he's gotta go somewhere for a long time?''

Ziva closed her eyes in dread. God, she hated seeing that look on her daughter's face. She wasn't sure she could bring herself to tell Lia what was happening. So, when Tony emerged in the doorway to the living room with a stony look on his face, she sent him a silent plea to back her up. Of course, like always, he didn't hesitate to do so.

''Lia, baby, can you come over here for a second?''

She sent her mother a brief glance, as if to ask for permission. Ziva simply gave her a nod, and her little feet hit the carpet before she hesitantly walked over to her beloved father. ''Daddy, have you gotta go camping again?''

He locked eyes with Ziva, who's face melted in sympathy. After a heavy sigh, he crouched down to Lia's eye level. ''Remember last summer when we all went on that big plane?''

Her face lifted in hope. ''We went to Israel!'' She recollected fondly.

''We sure did.'' He smiled affectionately. ''That was fun, wasn't it?''

''Yeah.'' She replied enthusiastically. ''That's where Momma was when she was a little girl.''

His gaze shifted to his wife's face again, and he found her smiling proudly. ''That's right.'' He confirmed in a more serious tone. ''Remember when I told you that not every trip on a big plane is a fun one? That sometimes me or your Mom might have to fly far away to catch the bad guys?''

Lia's brow furrowed as she considered the question. ''Yeah.''

''Well, I'm going on one of those trips today.''

The significance of that information didn't seem to be acknowledged by the little girl, though. ''Oh.'' She eventually replied. ''You gonna be back for dinner?''

Ziva got to her feet and stood beside Tony's squatting figure, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. The strength at which he gripped her fingers after he reached up to her made her eyes burn with oncoming tears.

Lia looked up at her, a look of innocent curiosity painted across her little face. ''Are we going too, Momma?"

Just the thought of her daughter being within a hundred miles of the violent hell Tony was about to enter made Ziva's heart spike with panic. She knew it would never happen. Neither of them would _ever_ let it happen. That didn't make her protective instinct any easier to shake off. Clearly, Tony had the same kind of mental reaction to Lia's words. She could feel the sudden tension in his muscles.

''No, you're not coming.'' He answered the question, despite it not being aimed at him. ''It's too dangerous, baby.''

This redirected Lia's deep gaze back to him. ''But I wanna go with you.'' She confessed in a soft whisper.

''I need you to stay here and take care of Momma. Do you think you can do that for me? ''

She nodded after a few moments. ''Is it gonna takes a long time?''

''No.'' He half-lied. ''I promise I'll be back soon, okay sweetie?''

She seemed to reluctantly accept the situation. No more words were needed, apparently, as she threw herself into Tony's arms in a tight hug. Ziva could see the tears in his eyes when he kissed Lia's head, before he closed them with a shaky breath. She felt a bone-deep ache of love for her husband in that moment. It never ceased to amaze her just how good he was at handling the emotional conversations with their daughter. Every time she witnessed these encounters, he seemed to make her completely fall in love with him all over again. Who would have thought that the cocky, immature and emotionally guarded man she'd met all those years ago could turn into such a good father? Then again, she wasn't exactly mommy material back then either. A lot had changed over the length of their partnership, including the actual definition of it. They were no longer coworkers, but they were still a team. A team that recruited a new member nearly four years ago. Ever since that fateful day, something as simple as leaving the country became a lot harder to do for both of them. She wished she could so something to help him. _Anything._ She felt so useless to him. Teams always looked out for each other, right? How was she supposed to do that from halfway across the planet?

 **...**

The doorbell rang with about half an hour to go until Tony was scheduled to take off. Lia lurked a few feet behind her mother as she opened the front door. Waiting on the other side of it, standing on the welcome mat, was the NCIS senior field agent for team DiNozzo.

''Hey, Ziva.'' He greeted with a polite smile.

''Alex.''

She stepped aside to welcome the tall, blonde man into the house. Alex Dempsey had taken on the responsibility of watching Tony's back in the field since he became team leader five years prior. Despite her early skepticism, Ziva grew to like the young man as a person. He had a very similar attitude to Tony and, from what her husband had told her, he was an extremely capable agent. This had led to healthy and well synchronized working relationship between the two men. She could never quite allow herself to fully trust Dempsey with Tony's safety, though, even if she knew it was a bit possessive. That was _her_ job.

''Have you come to take my husband away?'' She asked, but her teasing smile displayed her lack of anger.

He winced slightly. ''Yeah, sorry. I told him me and Simmons could handle it but…''

She gave him a knowing look after he trailed off. ''But he is stubborn.'' She finished for him.

''Oh yeah.'' He agreed with a nod. ''Once the boss' mind is made up, that's it.''

''Hi, Dempy.'' Lia greeted shyly, peering out from behind her mom's legs. Ziva smiled fondly at her daughter's usual pronunciation of his name.

''Hello, Lia.'' He said with a warm smile. ''You know, I think you're a little bit bigger every time I see you.''

She smiled proudly up at Ziva. ''Uncle Gee says that too.''

''Then it must be true, _tatelah_.''

Her grin grew even wider, before she looked back to their guest with wide eyes. ''Are you going on the big plane with Daddy?''

He glanced at Ziva for a split second, clearly wondering how much the little girl already knew and therefore how much he should say. ''I am indeed.'' He confirmed for her eventually. ''Hopefully we'll be coming back soon, though.''

''After you gets the bad guys?''

He chuckled softly at Lia's oh so innocent query. ''Yeah. And your daddy always gets the bad guys.''

''Well, when you're good, you're good.'' Tony's voice traveled down to them from the top of the stairs. He completed his descent and gave his agent a manly slap on the back. ''We good to go, Demps?'' He asked, in a tone Ziva recognized as his _team leader_ voice.

''Jet's fueled and ready, boss.'' Alex confirmed with a serious face.

Tony nodded in approval. ''Is Lopez on the electronic trail yet?''

''Yep. And I've already told her to borrow McGee from Gibbs if she needs any help.''

He reached down and swung his duffle bag over his shoulder. ''Good. We need any clues we can get. I don't want us to be out there all damn week looking for these guys.''

''Neither do we.'' Ziva re-entered the conversation. This seemed to make something click in Tony's brain, and he turned to see his wife looking back at him with a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. He seemed to have forgotten about his two family members while he was delving further and further into his work related chit-chat. His previously stern expression turned into an apologetic one, full of love and longing.

Dempsey could tell the DiNozzo family needed some privacy for their goodbyes. ''I'll take your bag out to the car, boss.'' He offered, taking the large green sack from his leader. ''I'll catch you later, guys.'' He said to Ziva and Lia as he turned towards the door.

''Takes good care of my daddy, Dempy.'' Lia ordered in a serious tone.

Alex met Ziva's eyes, but she only offered an identical look to her daughter's. It was unnerving, but he knew they were both just being protective of his boss. It didn't take long after joining Tony's team for him to discover just how loved the man was. DiNozzo had a lot of people looking out for him. He knew full well that he'd be facing the wrath of ex-marines, highly trained federal agents, ex-Mossad officers and, perhaps most scarily, a crazy forensic scientist if he ever screwed up. If the bossman was ever harmed, and it was because of his incompetence, he may as well just run away to Siberia or something. Not that it would help; they would find him in about five minutes. Luckily, he'd never let Tony down, and definitely wasn't planning on breaking that streak.

''I'll have your Dad back home in no time, sweetheart.'' He vowed after swallowing nervously. ''I promise.''

Ziva offered him a small smile in thanks. ''I know you will. Take care of yourself as well, Alex.''

He nodded, before stepping out of the house and towards the squad car parked at the end of the driveway. Once he'd left, Ziva turned back to her husband to find him taking a deep breath. There was a look of regret in his eyes, and she knew he'd be feeling guilty about this for the entire trip. He approached her and Lia, before picking up his daughter and swinging her around playfully. The delighted squeal the little girl let out, and the proceeding torrent of giggles, made Ziva's chest grow warm. She couldn't help but smile, despite her raging anxiety.

After a few seconds of chuckling, he stilled and gave Lia a kiss to the forehead. ''Now, you be good for your Mom while I'm gone, okay?''

Her giggling stopped as reality appeared to come crashing back to her. ''I'll looks after her, daddy.'' She promised, before leaning in and wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. ''I love you.''

His eyes glassed over as he looked into Ziva's from over Lia's shoulder. ''I love you too. So much. I'll be back soon, okay?''

She nodded against him. ''Okay.'' He went to place her back down, but her eyes went wide as she seemed to suddenly recollect something important. ''Wait, daddy!''

''What is it, munchkin?''

She reached in to the pocket of her little dress and retrieved a small bracelet. It had about a dozen hand crafted, wooden charms attached to it. He immediately recognized it as the gift Gibbs had made her for her first birthday. ''You gotsa take this with you.'' She told him sincerely.

His eyes went wide and he shot her a look of gentle admonishment. ''I can't take this, Lia. It's yours. Uncle Gibbs made it for you, not me.''

''He says it keeps me safe.'' She informed him with pleading eyes. ''It will keeps you safe too.''

Ziva could see he was _really_ fighting back the tears now. Her own eyes became dangerously wet, and she gave him a small shrug when he looked her way for guidance. His trepidation was still apparent as Lia placed the bracelet in his hand. ''I'll take it, sweetie, but I'm gonna bring it right back to you, okay?''

She nodded in agreement. ''Jus don't break it with your big heavy butt.''

His jaw dropped, before both him and Ziva broke out laughing. She started giggling as well after seeing her parents' sudden state of amusement. ''I'll try not to sit on it.'' He solemnly swore, and with that, he gave her another kiss before putting her back down on the floor.

He turned to his wife, and suddenly his voice was a lot harder to find. Unlike their young daughter, Ziva knew the real extent to which his well-being would be threatened in Afghanistan. There was no sugar coating it. She would probably hit him if he even tried to. She wouldn't mind him going on this mission so much if she was going with him. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, he was well aware of how much it still bothered her that she wasn't the one watching his back anymore. He could see it her distant eyes and tight jaw. She didn't like it at all. Could he blame her, though? Of course he couldn't. He had the exact same problem.

She rested a gentle hand over his cheek, before leaning in and giving him a deep, longing kiss. ''I love you.'' She whispered afterwards. ''We both do. Please be safe.''

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he leaned his forehead against hers. ''Always am.''

His usual response brought an involuntary smile to her lips. She cupped his face between both her hands and looked into his hazel eyes with silent begging. _Please come home. Please don't leave us. I love you. I need you._

His face melted and he gave her another kiss. This one was a pact, though. Another promise. ''I'll be back before the little munchkin turns four.'' He told her with a wink after they'd pulled back.

She nodded and gave his hand a quick squeeze.

 **...**

By the time he'd finally pried open his daughter's arms after another tight hug, stepped out into the chilly morning air and strapped himself into the passenger seat next to Dempsey, he was already homesick. It didn't really help when he looked back to the house and saw Ziva standing there, curly hair flapping in the wind and a miniature version of herself attached to her hip. His whole life was standing in that doorway. They were the only people who could make him tear up, and but for the agent sitting across from him, he may well have burst out in a fit of child-like sobs. He kept it together, though, and even managed to give them a smile. When he saw them both waving him goodbye, he swallowed back the almost overwhelming surge of emotion and managed to lift his hand and signal his own farewell.

 _This damn trip better be a short one_.

* * *

 **Cheers for sticking with this little story, and to those of you who reviewed. It's always great to get feedback. There'll be more to come lads and ladettes**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know I've been awful with updates recently, but I've kind of hit a wall of uncertainty with my stories. Sorry, and thank you for your patience. Hope you enjoy the update lads.**

* * *

Sometimes Ziva missed working in the field. She left the MCRT for a good reason; one that she believed was justified. It would have simply been too hard for her and Tony raise a child if they both had to work long hours. Not to mention the fact that both Lia's parents would have been placed in relatively frequent jeopardy. Luckily, when she was pregnant, Vance offered her a position as the head of the international relations department. This put her linguistic skills to good use and was pretty much all desk-bound.

Leaving Gibbs' team was one of the hardest things she'd ever done, but it was still worth it. She had plenty of time to spend with her daughter, and it meant the little princess didn't have to spend too much time at day-care. Lia was as social as her father, so it was only healthy for her to spend some time with other kids, but there was still a part of Ziva that felt a little bit uneasy whenever someone she hadn't known and trusted for a long time was responsible for looking after her. It was something she would have to get over one day, but not quite yet.

On this particular Thursday afternoon, she found herself taking a familiar ascent in an equally familiar elevator. She hardly ever got off on this floor anymore but, as the metal box came to a halt with a soft _ding,_ she found herself expecting to walk out and see the mischievous DiNozzo smile beaming at her from across the bullpen. For years her time spent in this large room would consist of teasing her partner from the opposite desk, standing up for McGee as he was mercilessly tormented, and generally keeping herself ready to spring into action if their hard-ass boss turned up. She felt a slight pang in her chest as the happy wave of nostalgia hit her. So much had changed, and she kind of missed the old days.

Did she feel any regret, though? As the little girl standing at Ziva's feet looked up at her with wide eyes and an excited smile, the answer to that question was easy. Every change was for the better. She subconsciously squeezed Lia's hand a little tighter as warmth spread through her chest.

''Uncle Gee!''

Lia pointed in the direction of young agent- or rather, the _senior_ field agent- sitting at Tony's old desk. And, sure enough, there sat McGee. He was busy having what looked like a rather heated conversation on the desk phone. After they took a few more steps in his direction, he noticed their arrival and the previous frustration marring his features disappeared briefly. It made way for a quick smile aimed at Lia, before whatever his fellow conversationalist said over the phone brought it back almost immediately.

Just as the two DiNozzo's arrived at one end of the bullpen, Gibbs swept in from the other, his gaze practically burning a hole in the file her was looking down at. ''McGee where the hell is…'' He trailed off after noticing the two curly haired guests standing in front of him.

''Hello.'' Ziva greeted with a smile.

Lia, more accustomed to seeing his softer side, ran at him with raised arms. ''Gibbs! Gibbs!''

He cracked a rare, but warm smile before abandoning his paperwork and crouching down to return her enthusiastic hug. Ziva felt a familiar sense of relief and pride at the way Gibbs always treated her daughter. During her pregnancy, she had let herself worry that he may not want anything to do with the DiNozzo-David spawn. It took all of about two seconds after he'd first met the new-born baby for her to realize how ridiculous her anxiety had been. He was always good with kids, and Lia was no exception. If anything, he was like a grandfather to her. He just seemed to have the unconditional love for the child that you would only expect to see from an actual blood relative. Both she and Tony were immeasurably grateful for that.

''Hey, Kiddo.'' He said softly into Lia's hair. ''Wasn't expecting to see you here.''

She pulled back with a toothy grin. ''Uncle Gee's gonna help us talk to Daddy.''

His eyes rose to meet Ziva's for a second. ''Really?''

''Uh-huh.'' Lia nodded. ''We gotsa see him on the little TV 'cause he's really far away.'' She explained with a serious expression.

Gibbs' smile returned. ''That's right.'' He praised sincerely. ''Do you miss him?''

Her head bowed before she nodded again, this time more slowly. ''Yes. I wanted to go with him.'' She murmured quietly.

He looked up again, and Ziva sent him a knowing look. ''He needs you to be here to take care of your mom.'' He said, once again addressing the little girl. ''You can't _both_ be really far away from her.''

He was damn right about that. Ziva found it hard enough without Tony being in the house, and couldn't imagine how empty it would be without him _and_ Lia. She couldn't help but smile to herself, though, at Gibbs' chosen explanation. It was the exact same one Tony used before he left. Both men may have just been trying to humor the young child, but there was a certain truth to their words. In a way, Lia did take care of her. She gave her purpose, drive, something- _someone_ \- to fight for. With Tony being painfully absent, their daughter was the only thing keeping her grounded as she helplessly waited for his safe return.

Gibbs looked back to her with a slightly confused look. ''You take the time off Vance offered?''

''Yes.'' She replied with a nod. ''I still have one week off, which given the circumstances, is quite well timed.''

''Look, just send me the footage, okay? I don't want to ask again.''

McGee's rather angry voice travelled across the bullpen, before he slammed the phone down with an eye roll. ''God, I hate security guards.'' He muttered under his breath. After a few seconds of typing, he abruptly realized that three pairs of eyes were staring at him in amusement. ''Oh,'' He started, rising to his feet. ''Hi, guys. Sorry about…that. Been dealing with this guy all day. He really is a stupid son of a bi-''

He cut himself off, mentally noting the presence of a young kid. More importantly it was a young kid belonging to Ziva, who had her eyebrow raised at him in question.

''Big…fat idiot.'' He finished with wince. ''He's a stupid son of a big fat idiot.''

Lia giggled, Gibbs sighed and Ziva frowned in confusion.

''You're funny Uncle Gee!'' Lia told him after her laughter died down.

He smiled down at her. ''Thanks…I guess.''

''Yes, very amusing.'' Ziva agreed. ''You still need to work on how you moderate your language, though.''

''And how quickly you get me those damn surveillance tapes.'' Gibbs added in typical fashion.

Ziva sent a glare in her old boss' direction. ''Gibbs!'' She admonished.

His eyes narrowed as he looked back at her. ''What?''

''Bad word.'' Lia informed him with a stern point of the finger.

He glared slightly at the little girl, but Ziva could still see the amusement in his eyes. ''I mean _darn_ surveillance tapes.'' He corrected.

''Momma punches Daddy when he says bad words.''

He looked up at Ziva in with a raised eyebrow. ''She means pinch.'' She corrected hastily.

The corner of his mouth twitches. His version of a teasing smile. ''Are you gonna pinch me, David?''

She smirks back at him. ''It's DiNozzo, remember? And, no, I would not dream of it.''

His amused expression doesn't last too long, though. It is replaced by genuine surprise after Lia reached over and squeezed his shoulder through his sports jacket. There was no doubt this was her version of a pinch, and Ziva's mouth fell open in shock. If her daughter was old enough to truly know Gibbs in 'boss mode', then such a move would never even be contemplated. The infamous steely stare was aimed at Lia, and Ziva, along with her old colleague beside her, could only watch on in fascination.

''Liana DiNozzo, did you just pinch me?''

It was hard to tell if he was actually mad or just putting it on. Either way, the little trouble maker didn't seem to care. ''No.'' She lied, a familiar grin spreading over her little face.

His eyes narrowed slightly, but this time a tiny flash of a smile tugged at his mouth. ''I'm pretty sure I just saw you.''

''Nu-uh.'' She denied, shaking her head.

''You're a bad liar.''

She giggles, apparently unfazed, before looking up to her mother. ''That's what Daddy says.''

Ziva smiles back fondly. ''That is because it's true, _tatelah_. And don't pinch people, baby.''

Lia turns back to Gibbs with a serious expression. ''But I can never lie to Momma.'' She informs him. ''Daddy gets really mad.''

The veteran team leader nods in understanding. ''And what about me? Can you lie to me?''

Her brow furrows as if she's trying to remember something. ''No one can lie to Gibbs.'' She recites in a deep imitation, presumably of Tony. ''Ever.''

''Well, that's a true statement if I've ever heard one.'' McGee said, making his way over to his old desk before placing a file on it. ''Where's Wilson, boss?''

Gibbs finally stands back up, apparently forgetting the whole pinching incident. ''Sent him and Jess to Quantico.''

''To talk to the CO again?''

''Yup.''

''Think we missed something?''

''Maybe.''

''You think he's holding something back?''

''Definitely.''

McGee opened his mouth, and his frown suggested another question was imminent, but no words came out in the end. A small hand tugging lightly at his trouser leg interrupted his line of inquiry. He looked down at Lia, whose wide brown eyes held a small glint of excitement. She may have been a DiNozzo, but it was always obvious that McGee had a soft spot for the little girl. In fact, everyone in the NCIS family seemed to. Another development that Ziva was more than grateful for. Like now, for instance, her old coworker's features softened noticeably as he looked down at Lia in an obvious indication of affection.

''Uncle Gee, can we see Daddy now?''

Realization dawned on his face. ''Oh, yeah. Sorry, forgot about that.'' He stuttered. ''Of course you can, sweetie.''

Ziva took a moment to consider his busy mid-case schedule. ''Only if it is not too much trouble, McGee.''

He waved his hand dismissively. ''No, not at all.''

''Just don't take _too_ long.'' Gibbs ordered, though his tone lacked its usual bite.

''I'm just going to set them up, Boss.'' McGee ensured him. ''I'll be right back.''

 **...**

The break room was the chosen location for their video chat with Tony. Officially, you were only supposed to talk to an agent that was working abroad through MTAC or a secure line. And even those were supposed to be case related conferences only. A bonus of having a McGee in your arsenal was that any technological rules could easily be broken, (with the best intentions, of course). Ziva, once again, thanked the powers to be that she had found her way to NCIS all those years ago. She was blessed to have a friend like McGee, who was willing to risk a potential dressing down from Vance just so her and Lia could talk to their beloved man of the house.

Lia shifted slightly in Ziva's lap. ''Is Daddy going to be on the little 'puter?'' She asked, her little finger pointing at the laptop sat on the table in front of them.

''Yes.'' Ziva answered, with a soft smile. ''Do you think he will be happy to see us?''

A wide grin appeared on her face as she nodded enthusiastically. ''Daddy loves us, Momma.'' She started bouncing up and down in excitement. ''Is it calling?''

Ziva chuckled. ''It is calling him. We just need him to answer.''

Before any further explanation was needed, Tony popped up on the screen. Well, the back of his head did, anyway.

'' _Hey, Dempsey? A little privacy please?''_ He called over his shoulder.

'' _You and Ziva gonna have phone sex again?''_

Lia looked back at Ziva with a confused frown. She simply shook her head dismissively in response.

'' _No, she's calling on video chat._ '' Tony replied.

'' _Oh, right. I'll get out of your hair then._ ''

Dempsey could be briefly seen in the background as he walked away. '' _And grab me a soda, or something!_ '' Tony called after him. '' _If this damn country has anything that luxurious._ '' He added under his breath.

''Language, Tony.''

Ziva's voice seemed to startle him slightly, and he span around with wide eyes. Though, Ziva could immediately see how tired they looked. '' _Oh, hey guys_.'' He greeted with a beaming smile.

''Hi, Daddy!'' Lia waved.

His exhausted features visibly lit up. '' _Hey, princess. Are you being good for your mom_?''

''Yeah. I helped her make sp…spa…spatetty.''

He looked to Ziva for a translation. ''Spaghetti.'' She informed him with a fond smile. ''Yes, our little angel was very helpful with dinner last night. You like making food don't you, _tatelah_?''

Lia nodded in confirmation. ''Uh-huh.'' She turned back to the screen. ''Daddy, we gotsa make the 'Nozzo pizza when you gets back.''

'' _The DiNozzo special? Yeah, maybe you could help me with that as well, little chef.''_

She seemed inexplicably excited at the prospect. ''Ken! Momma, you can help, too.''

Ziva leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. ''I'd like that.''

Lia's eyes lit up, before they once again went to her father. ''Are you coming home soon?''

His face fell at the exact moment Ziva's did. It was obvious; to her at least, that his answer wasn't going to be welcome to Lia's ears. She sent him a gentle look of sympathy and understanding, hoping her eyes expressed the reassurance she knew he needed. It seemed to do the trick. He took a deep breath and regarded their daughter with a small smile. '' _It won't be much longer, sweetie_.'' He told her softly, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke. '' _You just hang on in there. I'll be back to squash Hippo before you know it_.''

He was clearly trying to lighten the mood, and Lia's small giggle brought back his smile again. It squeezed Ziva's heart that Tony could always make their little girl laugh, even from thousands of miles away. It was only really then that she realized how much she missed him. It had only been four days, but it was still hard to be at home 'relaxing' when he was in a warzone half a world away. It would have been easier if there was a pre-planned return date, but the fact that there wasn't made her all the more restless in her anxiety. At least he was safe. She could see him right there in front of her.

''No, you can't squash Hippo!'' Lia told him with a toothy grin. ''I'm gonna stop you.''

His eyebrows raised in amusement. '' _I thought I was too heavy?_ ''

''Momma will stop you.''

He turned his gaze to Ziva, who merely winked at him. '' _Yeah, she probably will.''_ He conceded.

''So, how is the case going?'' Ziva asked him. Her tone was casual, even as hope and dread continued their boxing match within her soul. She knew his answer could give her a proper indication of when he may be able to return home. It wasn't as simple for him to reassure her as it was with Lia.

He visibly swallowed back any emotion threatening to surface. '' _We think we've found them, Ziva. We're heading out to get them tomorrow._ ''

And with that, hope landed the knockout blow. She felt a weight slightly lift off her chest that she wasn't even aware existed. ''That is good news, Tony. ''

He grunted. '' _Yeah_.''

''You do not seem very excited.''

After a heavy sigh, he confirmed what she already knew. '' _I'm just tired_.''

''Daddy needs nap time.'' Lia added her opinion seriously.

He smiled again. '' _You think so, baby girl?_ ''

She nodded. ''Yes, but I can't snuggle with you.''

'' _I wish you could.''_

Ziva ran a gentle hand through Lia's curly hair. ''We will have to be patient, _neshomeleh._ '' Her daughter's small pout suggested she wasn't a big fan of patience; which was a David trait. Ziva wished she could do something about the whole situation, but knew it was out of her hands. ''We should let you go to bed, Tony.'' She said, looking back to his face on the screen.

''It's light outside, Momma.'' Lia informed her with a furrowed brow.

'' _It's night time here, princess.''_

A familiar frown of consideration appeared on her face. ''But, we just had lunch.''

He chuckled warmly. '' _I'll let your mom explain time zones. I'm way too tired._ '' Ziva rolled her eyes. '' _I'll speak to you again tomorrow._ ''

''Wait, I don't want you to go.'' Lia said sadly.

Ziva's chest panged as she looked to Tony, who sighed, his expression turning longing. '' _Me neither, baby. But I need take a long nap and then we'll talk tomorrow, I promise._ ''

Her head bowed. ''I miss you lots, Daddy.''

He shared another brief and heavy look with Ziva. '' _I miss you, too. Both of you._ ''

Lia gave him a slower, less energetic wave than the one she greeted him with. ''Bye, Daddy. Love you.''

'' _I love you more._ ''

''Call me after the Op tomorrow.'' Ziva gently ordered him.

He nodded in acknowledgement. '' _I will_.''

''Do you want to give your father a goodnight kiss, Lia?''

She nodded. ''Ken.''

Ziva kissed her own finger tips, before reaching out and placing them on the image of Tony's face. He smiled intimately, and she could see the emotion swimming in his eyes. Lia watched her mother with amazement, and then proceeded to offer Tony the same loving gesture. When her little hand made contact with the screen, she looked up at Ziva. The proud mother nodded in encouragement, bringing a delighted smile onto the child's face. There was a slight glassiness to Tony's eyes now, showcasing how much the two simple actions had meant to him.

''Night, Daddy.''

He wiped at the corner of his eye. _''Goodnight, sweetie. I love you guys, so much._ ''

''And we love you.'' Ziva returned through a tight throat. ''Be safe.''

And so, with a heavy heart, she clicked 'end call'. The man she loved disappeared from sight, just like her daughter's smile did from her face. Lia reached out and ran her hand over the screen that no longer had her daddy's face smiling back at them on it. Ziva's heart physically hurt when her little girl turned back to her, a desperate sadness lying deep in her eyes. As much as they both needed to talk to him and see his face, it occurred to Ziva that doing so only made them miss him more. It was emotional torture. Her own pain was amplified tenfold by the fact her daughter was so visibly shaken by the whole thing. Four days felt long enough for Ziva, she could only imagine what it felt like for the toddler.

Lia's chin quivered, and her head bowed. If it wasn't obvious enough already that she was about to start crying, then the sniffle soon made it so. Ziva's face fell as her own eyes started to burn. She waited until her baby let out a few small sobs, before she pulled her into to a tight embrace for comfort. She sat there for a few long minutes, rocking back and forth with her daughter in her arms, all the while murmuring soothing words of Hebrew into the messy curls under her chin. Her own tears went unnoticed and untended.

She knew they wouldn't stop falling until her daughter's did.

 **...**

Friday movie night wasn't the same. Ziva put on a DVD and snuggled up next Lia on the couch to watch it. There was no Tony commentary, no Tony explanations, no Tony warmth, no _Tony._ It was still relaxed and cozy, but there was a rather gaping hole in the household and it was very-special-agent sized. It just wasn't the same. Lia still seemed to be interested in the plot, but not completely lost in it like usual. Without her father there to share her cinema-related enthusiasm, she rarely even cracked a smile. And she never asked one of her usual questions about the story. They both missed Tony like a limb.

And, given the events of the day, Ziva's gut twisted with worry once again.

He said he would call, but never did. The sun went down long ago in the Middle-East. She had been expecting a call from any point between when she woke up and when she began preparing Lia's dinner. At first she shrugged it off. He was a busy man, after all. Maybe he was caught up with the case, and couldn't find time to call his loving wife. She knew he hadn't simply forgotten; he _always_ remembered to call. So, after a few more hours of letting her anxiety stew, she finally gave herself permission to be worried.

Lia knew nothing of this, of course. She couldn't possibly be expected to understand the potential dangers of her father's trip. She didn't know just how permanent his absence could be. _No!_ Ziva mentally scolded herself. She could _not_ allow herself to think like that. She was simply fearing the worst because she had seen the worst far, far too often. He was fine. He had to be fine.

It was only two hours later, when Lia was all tucked up in bed, that she began doubting that assumption.

The doorbell rang. Not exactly a rare occurrence in a suburban neighborhood. Unless it was at 9.30pm, then it was a bit strange. Out of habit, Ziva had the spare gun her and Tony always kept in the cabinet in her hand when she approached the door. This could be anyone, really. A random neighbor asking for help, a lost stranger passing through the street or, most terrifyingly, a bearer of bad news.

When she saw the unmistakable grey hair of Leroy Jethro Gibbs through the blurry window, she wasn't sure whether she felt relieved or even more worried.

She put the gun down on the key table, before unlocking the front door and opening it. There stood her old boss. One of the most influential and important men in her entire life. They knew each other so well by now that greetings were rarely necessary. In this case, she wouldn't be able to speak if she wanted to. His face, though typically stony, told her all she needed to know about this visit. A bearer of bad news indeed. She stepped aside to let him in, but he didn't look like he wanted to make himself at home. She closed the door behind him and closed her eyes, willing away the sudden spike in her heart rate.

''What has happened, Gibbs?''

Her voice was so small- so _desperate_ \- that even his features softened considerably. The worry and concern tugging at her tone couldn't do justice to the sudden wave of dread and nausea coursing through her entire being. She knew what this was about just by the deep breath he took in favor of a vocal response. She knew _who_ this was about by the sympathetic look he offered her.

''Is Lia asleep?'' He asked softly.

She nodded. ''Yes. Though, she has not been sleeping well this week.''

He swallowed, sending a sad look to the top of the stairs.

''Gibbs…''

He let out a deep breath. ''I didn't want you to hear this from anyone else.''

She gasped. Now she was sure her worst nightmare was becoming reality. Her hand covered her mouth and she felt herself struggling to breath. ''No…''

''Ziva-''

''Do not say it, Gibbs.'' She pleaded, tears spilling onto her cheeks.

He stepped closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. ''His convoy was ambushed earlier today.''

She let out a strangled cry. ''No…''

''We don't know who did it. But we know he was alive when they last saw him, Ziva.'' He told her, trying his best to console her. But she was on the verge of a panic attack. ''Hey, Ziva, listen to me.'' He adopted his team leader voice, which never ceased to snap her out of her own head-space. ''We don't know he's dead. Okay? We've lost contact with him and we don't know where he is, but he's _not_ dead.''

She sniffed back further tears and desperately tried to suck some much needed air into her lungs. ''He's not dead, Ziva.'' He added in a sure voice. ''I would know it if he was.''

How could he be so sure? She certainly wasn't, and her connection with Tony was far deeper these days than Gibbs' was. His words of assurance didn't have the effect he intended, and all of a sudden her mind was invaded with horrific images of her husband- her partner, her best friend, her entire world- dying in a hail of bullets and explosions while she was sat at home watching Bug's Life with their daughter. It was all too much. She wanted to run far, far away until her burning lungs allowed her to wake up from this nightmare. She knew it was real, though. Her shattered heart made that painfully obvious.

Her knees buckled and her whole universe fell apart with her.

* * *

 **Okay, I know I've done the whole 'Ziva thinks Tony is dead' thing before but this is a bit different. If you're wondering whether or not I'd ever actually kill him, then let's just say he's my favorite character. And that this story is far from over. Thanks for reading guys, I love you all. I'll try to sort my poor writing form out.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry about the delay for this chapter. My focus is 100% now, though, so there won't be another gap of that magnitude. Not sure how strong this update is, but I just wanted to writed something to get this on the move again. Hope you enjoy, and thanks fot the support.**

* * *

Ziva was fairly certain that she hadn't moved a muscle for well over an hour. In fact, the only outward signs that she was conscious—or even _alive_ —were the tears that escaped her eyes with every blink, as well as the shaky breaths that accompanied them. She had lost track of the time ages ago, and had no clue how much of it had passed since Gibbs went back to the Navy yard to try and shake some information out of somebody. She knew it was late, and she knew that she should really be in bed. Exhaustion would only add more despair to this dreadful situation. She also knew, however, that there was no hope in hell of her getting any sleep. Slumber was sporadic enough already with Tony being out of the country, but now that she had no clue whether he was safe or not… Well, she just couldn't see herself resting any time soon.

Or, maybe, ever again.

So here she sat, in the comfort of their living room. The soft couch was the only thing between her and the deep abyss that she could feel below her, trying with all its might to drag her down. With every second that passed, she couldn't help but feel tempted to let it. The house lacked its usual warmth in her partner's absence, and now she couldn't help but feel like the world was a much darker place, too. Any hope of this being a bad dream was completely gone for her now. Even her worst nightmares weren't this long.

She felt herself move for the first time in forever. She managed to raise her hand to her face and wipe at the corners of her eyes. Her limbs felt as heavy as her heart, but her thoughts danced around in her head like smoke in the wind. She imagined half a dozen scenarios in which Tony could have survived, and even more where he didn't. She hated herself for that. She considered jumping on the next plane to Afghanistan, and scouring every corner of that damned place until she found him. She even planned out the logistics of it all, to a certain extent. The small part of her brain that still held a minute amount of rational thought dismissed her plan as ridiculous, though.

Her mind wandered hopelessly from one desperate idea to another, but it always seemed to end up at the same place. A place where she would have to raise Lia on her own. A place where she would have to look her young daughter in the eye and tell her that her daddy would not be coming home. A little piece of Ziva died every time she allowed herself to picture the look on the little girl's face. She may not understand at such a young age, but she would eventually. And it would destroy her. She absolutely adored her father, and she would never be the same without him.

Ziva felt her eyes burn again. God, why did life always do this to her? Just when she had finally settled down, just when she had finally found happiness, life throws another heavy sucker punch. Tony's job was dangerous; she always knew that. She had always found it hard to not be one who watched his back as he did it. It had taken years for her to relax about it, to have faith in the people on Tony's team to look out for him. But now, she wasn't sure if she was angry at them or herself. If she was honest, she wasn't even sure if she was angry at all. Her emotions were all over the place. They seemed to have churned themselves up and left behind a broken woman.

 _A broken woman with a daughter,_ she reminded herself. _She isn't even four yet. She needs you._

Ziva's head fell into her hands as she tried her best not to cry out in pain. Yes, Lia needed her. Seeing her mother in such a weak state would only make things harder. If the worst had happened, and Tony really wasn't coming home, then Lia would need the people around her to be strong. Ziva would need to be her rock, her beacon of hope guiding her through the pain. Could she do it, though? Ziva knew she had to, there was no other option. She would never let her daughter down. She would never fail to protect her. But there was still a part of her that wasn't sure.

Tony had always been there whenever she had doubts about herself as a mother. He had always reassured her, always had every faith in her. He gave her courage, and at times his words made her feel invincible. How could she do this without him? Raising Lia on her own was a mission she may not be able to carry out. Not without her partner. She thought back the weeks after Lia's birth, where she had been so scared and exhausted that she was on the verge of a full blown mental breakdown. In the end though, she only had a mini-breakdown, and Tony was there to save her.

As always…

 _Ziva had tried everything to stop the baby crying. She fed her, she rocked her back and forth, she changed her, she fed her, she sang soothing lullabies, she changed her, she fed her, she took her for a drive in the car, she fed her again. No use. No luck. No hope. She was on the verge of crying herself. If not from blind frustration, then from sheer exhaustion. Having a kid was always going to be hard, she was well aware of that. After months of waddling around with an inflated stomach, and then eventually spending fourteen hours in labour, she thought the hardest part was over._

 _Oh, how wrong she was._

 _Little Liana had been in a particularly grouchy mood all day. All week, in fact. She seemed determined not to allow her poor mother any time to rest and relax. It wasn't quite as bad when Tony was on paternity leave, but now he was working again and she couldn't rely on his help for the majority of the waking day. At first, she thought it would be fine. It was only a new-born; what harm could she possibly do? She was so tiny and cute and helpless._

 _And loud. And needy. And exhausting._

 _She heard the front door open and close again just as another loud wail left Lia's tiny mouth. She nearly cried in relief. Tony was home. Maybe he could try to calm her down, while Ziva went and slept for a solid month._

 _She looked down at the baby in her arms. ''Your father is home,'' she said softly, and perhaps a little desperately. ''He can cheer you up, yes?'' She placed a gentle kiss on Lia's forehead, before closing her eyes and holding her against her chest as she bounced from side to side. ''Maybe you can smile for Daddy.''_

 _The crying didn't stop, and if Ziva had the energy, she may well have screamed. Her eyes opened again as she heard Tony step up to the doorway. ''Someone's cranky,'' he said with a small smile. ''I think she's hungry.''_

 _Ziva turned an angry glare in his direction. ''Why did I not think of that?'' She snapped. ''I have only fed her about a hundred times today! So, yes, she must be hungry.''_

 _His smile disappeared, and his frown made her feel a bit guilty. It wasn't his fault, after all._

'' _Looks like both my girls are cranky.''_

 _He approached them with a soft expression, and Ziva ran a shaky hand over her face. ''She will not stop, Tony,'' she whined. ''I have tried everything.''_

 _He ran a soothing hand up and down her back, gazing down at their daughter as he did so. Despite the racket, there was still a noticeable spark in his eyes as he looked at her. He was still completely awestruck, even weeks after Lia's birth. Ziva couldn't help but feel a pang of affection for the man, even as she wished more than anything that he would find a way to shut their darling baby up. Lia clearly meant the world to him, even if she was causing his wife to have a nervous breakdown. He could still see a little angel through all the shrieking, snot and tears. Was it awful that, right then, Ziva couldn't?_

'' _Hey there, Liana-banana,'' he cooed softly, reaching out to run his finger over her cheek gently. ''Are you misbehaving for your mom?'' The baby's cries died down slightly as her little brown eyes shifted to her father, but more noise escaped her mouth after a few seconds. ''Maybe you need some Daddy time, huh? You want to take a walk with Daddy?''_

 _He held out his arms to Ziva, and despite everything she still felt strangely reluctant to hand her child over. But it was only Tony, and she really did hope he could calm Lia down before her eardrums burst. As he placed a soft kiss to her messy curls, she carefully shifted the baby into his arms, and the crying immediately became more quiet. Ziva watched him kiss Lia's cheek and hold her up against his chest, and prayed that he could work some of his magic. He always seemed to be so good with Lia, and it made her feel even more useless as a mother._

'' _There we go,'' Tony said gently, before shushing quietly at his daughter. ''We don't need to be grumpy do we, munchkin?'' He left the room with Lia. and Ziva could hear him gently talking to the child as he headed down the hallway. ''I missed you today,'' she heard him say. ''You were all Daddy could think about at work.''_

 _Ziva listened as the cries got less and less frequent, before eventually stopping completely. The peaceful silence that had now taken over the house was such a strange sensation that she genuinely wondered if she was actually just imagining it. But, when Tony returned to the bedroom with a quiet Lia in his arms, she knew she wasn't imagining anything. He placed their little bundle of joy into the bassinet at the foot of their bed, and leaned down to give her another kiss. The unconditional love and pride could be seen shining from him as he stared down at her._

'' _Sweet dreams, Princess,'' he whispered._

 _Ziva swallowed down the lump in her throat. He was just so good at this. How did he do it? She had spent all day trying to calm Lia down, and failing miserably, only for him to come home and get her to fall asleep in less than two minutes. Maybe it wasn't just about how good he was. Maybe she was truly out of her depth. Maybe she was just terrible at this. So that was why her reaction to Tony's warm smile was to burst into tears and fall back against the bed in a sobbing heap._

'' _Ziva,'' Tony said worriedly as he approached her. ''Hey,'' he squatted down in front of her, concern etching its way onto his features. ''What's wrong?'' When she could only let out another pathetic sob, he moved to sit beside her against the bed, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. ''Talk to me, Ziva.''_

'' _She hates me,'' Ziva let out in a hush._

'' _She hates you?''_

 _Ziva sniffed. ''She hates me,'' she repeated, her head dropping to his shoulder in defeat. ''I love her so much, but she hates me.''_

 _She couldn't see his face, but she was fairly certain he was looking at her like she was crazy. ''Come on, Ziva,'' he said. ''She doesn't hate you.''_

 _All rational thought had abandoned her. ''All I do is make her miserable.''_

'' _No, you don't.''_

 _She shook her head. ''I cannot get my own daughter to stop crying. I cannot make her happy.''_

 _His voice rose slightly. ''Ziva—''_

'' _I am a terrible mother.''_

 _It was something she had berated herself with silently for weeks, and something she hoped was just a brief phase of anxiety. But, no, this self-assessment had eaten away at her to the point where she could admit out loud. When Tony didn't try to argue with her straight away, she took it as confirmation. He must have seen it, too. She lifted her head to look at him, but found the look on his face to be anything but agreement._

'' _That's crap, Ziva,'' he argued in a sure voice. ''You're an amazing mom.'' She sniffed and shook her head again. ''I'm serious.''_

'' _She is killing me, Tony.'' Ziva told him thickly, through the tears._

 _His face softened a touch, but there was still admonishment in his expression. ''She's not,'' he insisted. ''You're just exhausted. I'm here now, so get something to eat and get some rest.'' He brushed a few curls from her face and kissed her crown. ''Please?''_

 _She was feeling more calm, and a little embarrassed now, but she couldn't shake off the defeat. ''I don't think I can do this,'' she confessed in a whisper._

'' _You can do this,'' he told her sincerely. ''You are doing this.''_

 _She leaned into him further and buried her face into his neck. ''Only when you are here to help,'' she murmured. ''I am too weak on my own.''_

'' _Are you kidding me?'' He gently pushed her off of his shoulder and held her face between his hands. She wasn't sure what was going on inside of her head, but Ziva knew she needed to listen to him. It was in his eyes. ''People have been asking me if being a parent has changed me,'' he told her gently. ''They've been asking if I find it scary, or if I feel like I'm under pressure.''_

 _Ziva was feeling both those things far too often, but she could tell his next words were going to be important._

'' _And you know what?'' He continued. ''At first, I would say yes. At first, I found this whole thing terrifying.'' He gave her a small smile. ''I mean, really, a little person is looking up to me and relying on me when I can barely take care of myself.'' He raised his eyebrows and quickly let them fall. ''That's pretty scary stuff, even for a very special agent of my calibre.''_

 _Ziva felt herself smile slightly for the first time in what felt like forever._

 _His smile grew, before his face became serious again. ''But then, after the first few weeks, my answer changed,'' he said honestly. ''I wasn't scared anymore. Not because I had new-found faith in myself- I still second guessed everything I was doing, actually. No, I wasn't scared anymore because my amazing, strong, beautiful wife was doing such a great job.'' He leaned over to kiss her, and Ziva immediately felt her heart lift again. ''I always knew you were strong, but when I see you with Lia, there's no words that can do it justice. I'm so proud of you, Ziva.''_

 _She swallowed back further tears. ''Is that really how you feel?''_

'' _I'm not just saying it to cheer you up,'' he told her. ''I really mean it.''_

 _She felt her self-confidence start to grow again, and her husband's words hit home. She felt a crushing wave of love and affection for the man and found herself pulling him into a warm embrace before she was really aware of what she was doing. His arms came around her tightly, and he started rub his hand up and down her back in a way that brought about a wonderful amount of comfort and stress-relief. Where would she be without him?_

 _Tony kissed the side of her head. ''You okay?'' He whispered into her curls._

 _She nodded against him. ''I am sorry.''_

'' _Don't be. Don't ever be.''_

 _She took a deep lungful of his scent, and it brought her back to reality. ''This is harder than I thought.''_

'' _I know,'' he assured her._

'' _I am so tired, Tony.''_

 _He pulled back from the hug and held her gaze. ''I'm taking some more time off. I want to be here to help. Day and night.''_

 _She shook her head. ''But, Tony, the director won't—''_

'' _I don't care,'' he cut in. ''I'll take it as a holiday. I'm still owed a few weeks.''_

 _She gripped his hand. ''You do not have to. I know I am a mess, but I promise you I will be fine.''_

'' _It's not about that,'' he argued gently. ''When I'm at work, all I can think about is coming home. I miss you guys so much.''_

 _She smiled at him. ''We have missed you, too.''_

 _His full DiNozzo grin never failed to make her heart slam. ''Maybe that's why our little angel's been so cranky,'' he theorised. ''She just misses her daddy.''_

 _A long yawn escaped her mouth, but it didn't stop her smiling again. ''Perhaps.''_

 _His face was serious again. ''Come on.'' He stood up before helping her to her feet, too. She barely had the energy to stand, so she kept hold of his arm. ''Lay down for a while,'' he suggested softly. ''I'm going to make some dinner. I'll bring Lia in with me, so you don't have to worry about her. Just let yourself sleep, okay?''_

 _The idea of lying down in bed sounded ridiculously appealing to her, so she nodded in agreement before stretching up to give Tony a loving kiss. ''Thank you,'' she whispered sincerely._

'' _It's what I'm here for.''_

 _She gave him a small, intimate smile. ''I love you.''_

'' _I love you, too.''_

 _She nodded gratefully, before turning around to the bassinet and looking down at her daughter. The baby's face looked so peaceful and relaxed for the first time that day, and her little arm was stretched out over her head. Ziva reached out and ran a gentle finger over the miniscule fist at the end of the arm, and felt warmth spread through her chest. Suddenly, the way Tony always looked at her made perfect sense. This was their whole world, the centre of their universe. Love wasn't a strong enough word._

'' _See?'' Tony's voice came from over her shoulder, and he stepped up to rest his chin there. ''Look how perfect she is.'' She could almost feel his smile. ''How could someone that precious ever hate anybody?''_

 _She thought back to her little breakdown, and now felt even more embarrassed by it. Partly because she was weak, but mostly because she knew he was right. Once again, she thanked the powers to be for letting Tony enter her life all those years ago. He had got her through so many tough times, and she had no doubt he would get her through this. They were always a team, but now they were a family. And she was going to make sure nothing broke this family apart._

Ziva's trip down memory lane came to end when she heard quiet footsteps slowly growing louder and louder from the direction of the stairs. She quickly wiped at her eyes again, and tried to put on a soft, reassuring face before her visitor arrived. When a little head popped around, the doorway, she even managed to give her daughter a small smile. The one she received in reply was sleepy, but still as heart-warming as ever. Lia pushed a few loose curls away from her face, before pottering over to where Ziva sat.

'' _Tatelah,_ what are you doing out of bed?''

She leaned down and pulled Lia up into her lap, before kissing her cheek and running her fingers through her dark curls to loosen the knots. ''I had a bad dream,'' Lia told her quietly.

Ziva's chest tightened with sympathy. The bad dream may not be ending any time soon. ''What happened, my little angel?''

She watched her daughter's eyes drop as she pouted slightly. ''A nasty monster was chasing me,'' she explained sadly.

Ziva's face softened. ''There is no monster here. You are safe now.''

Lia nodded. ''Momma and Daddy keep me safe from monsters,'' she recalled.

''That's right,'' Ziva confirmed with a soft smile. ''We will never let any of them get you.''

She met the little girl's eyes again, and the sadness she saw in them was becoming far too familiar. ''But Daddy's not here,'' Lia said with another pout.

Ziva felt her eyes burn again, but tried to stay strong. ''No, but I am here.''

Lia looked up at her with an unreadable expression, before she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Ziva's neck in a tight hug. ''Love you, Momma.''

Ziva had to close her eyes against the emotion. ''I love you too, Liana,'' she returned thickly.

After they'd pulled back, Lia reached out and gently placed her fingers on Ziva's cheek, running it down one of the dried tracks of tears below her eyes. ''You been crying, Momma?'' Her little face held far more sympathy than any toddler should possess, and it was almost enough to make Ziva lose control of her tears again. She thought about dismissing it, or even lying, but she hated the idea of doing that to her daughter. Lia was far too perceptive, anyway.

''Yes,'' she confirmed eventually.

Lia's face softened. ''Are you sad, too?''

Ziva frowned down at her. ''Why are you sad, _neshomeleh?''_

Her eyes dropped again. ''I miss Daddy,'' she answered.

Again, Ziva found herself slightly amazed by how her daughter had managed to work out the reason for Ziva's previous weeping. She found it even more strange that Lia had been feeling sad about Tony's absence at the same time that Ziva's mind was dwelling on the heart-breaking possibility that it may just become permanent. It must have been some sort of special mother-daughter connection. It wasn't the first time that it had been evident. This child was part of Ziva's very soul, so there was bound to be an almost supernatural force between them.

A shaky sigh escaped from her mouth. ''So do I.''

''Is that why you're not sleeping?''

Ziva smiled at her daughter's innocent question. There was no way she would reveal the full truth about why she was still up, but she wasn't going to lie, either. ''Yes, perhaps that is it,'' she answered softly, just as Lia let out a heavy yawn. ''Would you like me to take you back to bed, Lia?''

Despite her obvious sleepiness, Lia shook her head adamantly. ''No,'' she said, dropping her head to lean against Ziva's chest. ''I wanna stay here and takes care of Momma.''

''You need to sleep, baby,'' Ziva argued, softly kissing her daughter's head.

Lia groaned with disapproval. ''I don't want to.''

Ziva chuckled at her attitude. ''Would it help if you slept in the big bed with me?''

She went quiet for a few moments, before she nodded slowly against Ziva's chest. ''You gonna sleep, too?''

''I will try,'' Ziva promised.

''No more bad dreams?''

Her face fell again with sympathy. ''I will keep them away. I promise.'' She got to her feet, effortlessly lifting Lia as she did so. ''Let's go and tuck ourselves in, hmm?'' She felt her daughter give another sleepy nod as she left the living room and headed for the stairs. Her mind had been distracted from any Tony-related for a few minutes, but as they entered her bedroom, her eyes landed on his side of the bed. It was too neat, too empty, too hard to look at. She averted her gaze and gently placed Lia down on her side of the bed.

After giving her head a soft kiss, she made her way over to Tony's side again and clambered in. His scent filled her nose, and it gave her comfort. She felt Lia snuggle up against her and wrapped a protective arm over her tiny frame.

''Night-night, Momma,'' she murmured sleepily.

Ziva gave Lia's hand a tiny squeeze. ''Good night, _tatelah._ ''

As her daughter drifted off into slumber, Ziva simply lay awake. She stared at the ceiling and tried her best not to let herself be overcome by the worry and despair threatening to consume her. The presence of Lia always seemed to ground her, anyway, so she knew she could keep control or her emotions for the time being. But Ziva's mind couldn't help but drift to her partner, thousands of miles away from her and beyond her reach. She wanted to reach out and help him, to bring him home to her. But she still didn't even know if he was alive. Gibbs' words from earlier that night echoed in her thoughts, though. He had said that he would know if Tony was dead. He would just be able to feel it. Of course, at the time, Ziva had been inconsolable.

But now, as she lay where her husband should have been sleeping, she couldn't help but feel like she would have felt it, too. Her gut was telling her that, yes, maybe Tony was still alive. That he was a fighter, who would do anything to get back to his family. She felt a surge of determination for the first time that night. She was no use to anyone as a sobbing train wreck. She needed to be strong, she needed to be positive. The man she loved was out there somewhere, and she was going to make sure he came home.

She ignored the tiny voice in her head that reminded her that so many people came home from that place in a coffin. She would not let the image of a folded American flag break her.

* * *

 **Bit short, but it's something. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your patience. There is more to come. Cheers lads and ladettes**


	6. Chapter 6

**Been too long, I know. My sincerest apologies, but I think (fingers crossed) that I've finally found the motivation to finish this story. Hope you enjoy**

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 _Despite the blurry distortion, there was an unmistakable sense of familiarity about this place. It wasn't a comfortable familiarity, though. Far from it. Comfort was the safe smell that enveloped her whenever she embraced her husband, or the feeling of peace and pride whenever she saw her daughter smile. This was at the opposite end of the spectrum, that much was abundantly clear. She could remember the hot, still air that filled her lungs with dust and sand. She could remember the foul scent festering in every corner of the bunker. She knew where this was—and what it meant—but she couldn't stop herself from delving deeper and deeper into this horrific trip down Memory Lane, one step at a time._

 _She wasn't bound, and there was no sign of her captors, but threat and terror loomed over her like a thick fog. It stank of death. Her feeling of dread increased along with the weight in her chest, and she hesitated slightly before pulling open the rusty metal door in front of her. The room she found on the other side was just as familiar as everything else; the barred window at the far wall, the chair nailed to the middle of the floor, the sunlight shining through the glass and unwillingly providing a symbolic beacon of hope. This was where her old life ended and her new one began. This was where she discovered—for perhaps the first time—who she could always trust and rely on, no matter what._

 _Her attention shifted to the figure hunched over in the chair. They had a sack unceremoniously draped over their head and were showing no signs of moving. She remained cautious, but couldn't prevent her own arm from outstretching. She gripped the sack and slowly pulled it away to reveal the victim's face. The terror coursing through her veins was suddenly too much to bare._

 _Tony slowly looked up at her, his eyes devoid of their usual spark. He looked bruised, battered and—above all else—defeated. He looked like a man who had very little life left in him, and Ziva knew all too well what that felt like. His very soul was drifting Heavenward, and he seemed all too willing to let it. She tried to reach out to him, to bring him back down to Earth where he belonged, but the distance between them had somehow grown tenfold. The sunlight had turned from the blinding gold to blood red, and the dusty heat was all but gone as an icy chill spread through her bones._

'' _Tony!''_

 _Her own voice sounded pathetic. It was too quiet and too weak, but it didn't fail to make her throat feel like it was lined with shards of glass. She saw the blood travelling down Tony's face and tried to shout louder. It was all useless, though, and her legs joined her voice box in the act of betrayal. She couldn't move a muscle._

 _His voice didn't provide her with the encouragement she needed. It sounded feeble and slurred with pain. ''You've got to get out of here, Ziva,'' he told her with empty eyes. He was fading, fast. ''Run.''_

 _She couldn't even if she wanted to. Besides, she couldn't leave without him. That wasn't an option. She loved him, he was the father of her child, he was—_

'' _It's too late for me,'' he assured her quietly, just as a dark silhouette appeared in the corner behind him. ''Just get her away from here. Keep her safe.''_

 _Ziva's heart sank to a whole new level of low. She had an idea of who he was talking about, but dreaded being right so much it physically hurt. The dark figure was beside Tony now, and wielding a huge machete. The blade shone in the red light, but there was blood dripping from it. She tried to scream out. She tried to run over and save her partner. She tried to shake off the invisible hands holding her firmly to the spot. Useless. She was vaguely aware of a tiny voice echoing through the bunker, but couldn't make sense of it._

 _The machete was raised and ready for the killer blow. ''Ziva,'' Tony pleaded, tears now joining the blood on his face. ''Get her out of here. Please.''_

 _All of sudden the echoing voice became louder. Ziva could hear it clearly now as her whole world came crashing down._

'' _Momma?''_

 _She cried out in horror. No. Not her daughter, too. ''Momma?'' She sounded so worried—so scared—that it damn near killed Ziva. How was this happening? She was never supposed to be exposed to this world, she was never meant to be in danger. How had her little baby Liana been dragged into all this? Everything Ziva loved was in the place she hated most._

 _She heard Lia's voice one more time before the machete over Tony's head was swung downwards._

'' _No!'' Ziva screamed, this time a loud shriek for the whole world to hear..._

* * *

''Mommy? Momma, I'm scared.''

Her eyes opened. The red light was gone now, with the soft white glow of moonlight replacing it. Her ragged and shaky breaths were no longer choking her, but her tears seemed to be. Sobs wracked her body as she tried to readjust to the real world. Her nightmare was still clouding her mind, though, and she reached a sweaty hand out for Tony without thinking. It was automatic now, and she found it hard to find her centre after a particularly bad dream these days without his comfort and reassurance.

She found nothing on the other side of the bed, only an empty space.

Her heartrate spiked again. Images of the dying Tony she had met in her nightmare filled her head, and she found herself panicking. She needed to feel him, she needed to hear him. The fact that she had no idea where he was or if he was even _alive_ made her body start to tremble uncontrollably. She felt another sob leave her throat just before a small, warm hand touched her shoulder gently. It made her jump, and her head whipped around as she automatically flinched away from the touch.

The look of concern on Lia's face made her heart break for millionth time that week.

They looked at each other for a few moments as Ziva tried to catch her breath and calm herself down, but it was proving to be far too difficult without Tony's sleepy voice bringing her back to Earth. She swallowed back some of the tears and waited until she was confident enough in the strength of her own voice before speaking to her daughter, who looked almost as shell shocked as her.

''Did I wake you, _tatelah?''_ Ziva whispered thickly.

Standing on the floor beside the bed, Lia nodded tentatively with her bottom lip trembling. The tears forming in her little eyes brought Ziva's back with a vengeance. ''You were yelling,'' Lia told her with a shaky voice. Ziva sent her a sad look of apology, and felt a shameful wave of guilt slam into her chest. It only got stronger when Lia sniffled and hugged Hippo to her chest, letting out a single sob before speaking again. ''Then you screamed really bad.'' She was crying by the time she finished the sentence.

Ziva's heart broke again. ''Oh, Lia, I am sorry,'' she squeezed through a tight throat, before reaching down to lift her daughter up to the bed so she could hug her as tightly as her weak-feeling arms would allow. Lia's arms wrapped around her neck as she buried her little face into her hair. ''I'm sorry, my little baby, I am so sorry,'' she whispered into Lia's curls as they rocked back and forth in the moonlit silence.

Mercifully, the act of calming and comforting her child gave Ziva some of the reassurance she was looking for when she woke up. She didn't know what had become of her husband, but her baby was safe. Her whole world hadn't ended yet. She still had a purpose, she still had a light, despite what her nightmare would have her believe. She placed a kiss on Lia's head and once again gave silent thanks for her presence.

''Was it a bad dream?'' Lia asked after a few minutes, her voice no longer lined with tears. There was still a heavy amount of concern in her eyes when she leaned away to look at Ziva, though.

Ziva brushed away a few stray curls from Lia's face. ''Yes,'' she admitted, perhaps a little shamefully. She was supposed to be the brave mother who fought off the bad dreams, after all. Instead her daughter had found her crying out and screaming in her sleep. Perhaps if Lia was old enough to understand the nightmare then she would have forgiven her weakness. But there was no way Ziva was about to describe it to her.

''Was it scary?'' Lia asked with a sympathetic expression.

Ziva couldn't help but smile a little bit at the look. ''Yes, it was very scary,'' she answered honestly.

Lia leaned in to give her another hug. ''Are you okay?''

Ziva nodded against her. ''I will be fine.''

''I don't like it when you cry.''

''Neither does your father,'' Ziva replied with a sigh.

The covers lifted as Lia tucked herself underneath them, before adjusting her position so she could lean her head against Ziva's side. The protective Momma bear wrapped an arm around her shoulders. ''Does Daddy keep away your bad dreams? Like you keep away mine?'' She asked softly, playing with a few strands of Ziva's hair.

Ziva's felt her face fall slightly, but tried her best not to show her sudden sadness. ''Your Daddy tries to keep away everyone's bad dreams, _neshomehleh_.'' When she thought back to everything she and Tony had been through, she was satisfied that her words made sense. ''He is far better at it than me,'' she confessed softly.

''Mommy and Daddy are a team,'' Lia reminded her.

Ziva smiled. ''I know. But sometimes I am a bit of a mess without him.''

''Daddy says it hurts him when his girls cry,'' Lia informed her sadly.

''He does?''

She feels Lia nod. ''Uh-huh. He feels it from a thousand-million miles away.''

Ziva smiled at her daughter's unmovable belief in Tony's words. ''We don't like him being that far away, though, do we?'' She turned her head to press another kiss to Lia's crown. ''Hmm?''

''No. He is s'pose to be here to kiss Momma better.''

Ziva squeezed her a little tighter. ''Well, he left you to take care of me, yes?''

'' _Ken_ ,'' Lia nodded. ''I'm gonna stay in the big bed to takes care of Momma,'' she said sleepily as she reached up to gently pat Ziva's shoulder, who felt herself smile proudly in response. ''Daddy is not here so we gotsa stick together,'' Lia added enthatically. ''Family is the most 'portant thing, right?''

Ziva's chest warmed as the last chills from her nightmare left her body. ''That's right.''

''Uncle Gibbs always says that.''

She wasn't too surprised to hear that. ''Well, he is usually right about that sort of thing.''

When all she got was a soft hum in reply, she looked down to see Lia drifting off. She smiled with open affection before brushing a feather light kiss to the little girl's cheek and shifting both their positions slightly in order to fully lie down under the covers and prepare for what would (hopefully) be a nightmare-free slumber. Ziva knew sleep would be elusive at best after her last attempt, but she was happy to provide a source of warmth and comfort for her daughter, who she knew had been sleeping quite fitfully since Tony's leave, too. Hence her arrival in the 'big bed' every night.

''Momma?''

Ziva looked down to see Lia's eyes only half opened, but they were full of worry. ''What is it, my sleepy little angel?''

Lia frowned thoughtfully. ''Do you think Daddy's hurting now?''

Ziva's face fell, and she was momentarily too overwhelmed to speak.

''We have _both_ been crying,'' Lia explained reasonably. ''Which hurts him, right?''

Ziva swallowed hard. ''Yes,'' was all she could squeeze out.

Lia's expression turned sad and guilty. ''I don't mean to hurt him, Momma.''

''I know,'' her mother assured her, having found a relatively strong voice again.

And she did know, she knew exactly where Lia was coming from. There had been countless times over the years when she hadn't meant to hurt Tony, but had unwillingly done so anyway. She had always hidden her shame and guilt behind cold words and a cold shoulder. She could see—and even physically _feel_ —Tony's pain from it at times, but she couldn't help it. It was who she was back then. But he knew her. He knew exactly the right moments to back off or to step closer. Because, essentially, he had always loved her enough to forgive her closed-off behaviour before it had even begun. That was the thing about Tony; he was always willing to get hurt—one way or another—for the people he loved.

Including the sleepy little girl at her side. She ran a hand over Lia's curls, leaning down to place a soft kiss to her crown. ''He knows, too,'' she explained in a whisper. And sure enough, Lia's mouth curled into a small smile that showcased her reassurance. She never wanted to upset or hurt her father, and Ziva's words were finally enough for her to close her eyes and drift off to sleep. Ziva's remained open, troubled, even with the comforting company of her very own daughter.

Her mind still raced at a nightmarish pace. She couldn't help but wonder if her husband was, in fact, hurting. Maybe he was wounded or starving. Another part of her wondered if he was hobbling across the desert, fighting his way back to safety.

A bigger part of her wondered if he was even alive, but she hated that part.

* * *

Team DiNozzo's bullpen was very similar to Team Gibbs'. There was that consistent use of orange paint, the equally consistent buzz of computers and case-related chatter, and the long line of large windows along the near wall, showcasing that oh-so familiar view of the D.C Harbour. The only thing that was missing was the staircase leading up to the director's office and MTAC. And the team leader himself, but he wasn't a literal part of the room, so he didn't count.

He was a part of everyone's hearts, though, and Ziva could see the worried tension all over the faces of Tony's youngest team members as they tapped away at their computers in what looked like desperation. Sarah Lopez, their tech savvy 'McGee' of the team, was looking a lot less neat and tidy than she usually did. Her dark hair was frizzy, and the bags under her eyes suggested an all-nighter. She was a good agent, and good with all the technical stuff, but she often came to McGee looking for help when she came across particularly difficult puzzles. She was a tough cookie, though, and her often innocent looking face had fooled a lot of suspects and perps into getting a black eye or a few bruised ribs. Tony really liked her attitude, and her loyalty, from what Ziva gathered.

And then there was the equally exhausted man sat at the desk next to her, Kyle Simmons. He was the youngest member of the team, and a bit of loose cannon when he'd first joined. Ziva could remember Tony coming home almost every day with a new complaint about Simmons' recklessness, or his wisecracks, or even his tendency to be distracted by hot girls when he was working. It all sounded very familiar to Ziva, and she couldn't help but wonder if Tony was trying to train a younger version of himself, and teaching him how to grow up. It was like the NCIS circle of life, and she once even said that to her husband, but he just shrugged it off and said he needed to install a boat-building basement. Despite everything else, though, Simmons was loyal to a fault, and was a natural investigator. Even she could see how much he'd matured in the years under Tony's command.

Simmons let out a frustrated sigh and leant back in his chair, looking skyward. Ziva's presence remained temporarily unnoticed. ''Sarah, remind me to smash something later,'' he said after a groan. ''Preferably something that looks like a computer.''

''I'll remind you to focus,'' she replied sharply.

''This is useless,'' he groaned again. ''None of this is helping the bossman. Or Alex.''

Lopez's eyes closed as she rubbed at her temples. ''What else can we do, Kyle?''

''I don't know. Get a team of marines, fly out there, and tear that place apart until we find them.''

''You don't think I want that?'' Lopez asked angrily. ''I would drag them back myself if I could, but we don't know where they are. We don't know if they're hurt or hungry. Hell, we don't even know if…'' She trailed off, and Ziva could tell she was simply unable to give life to the dread she'd been feeling.

''If what, Sarah?''

She looked at him warningly. ''Kyle…''

''No, I'm serious,'' he insisted. ''You want to play Little Miss Rational all the time, so tell me, we don't even know what?''

''If they are alive,'' Ziva said, announcing her presence for the first time.

They both jumped and span around to look at her with faces that were initially shocked, but then morphed into something between friendly and sympathetic. Ziva could see the exhaustion, worry and fear in both sets of eyes. She knew what they were going through. When you loved your boss, unconditionally and wholeheartedly, it was hard to sit there and feel helpless as they were missing. She was grateful for their loyalty to her husband, but not for the way they were looking at her. She was not a grieving widow, nor did she ever plan to be.

''Mrs D,'' Simmons said, still a little shocked. ''Sorry, we didn't see you there.''

She gave him a half-smile. ''It is fine. But how many times do I have to tell you to call me Ziva? 'Mrs D' makes me sound so old.''

He blushed slightly. ''Sorry… Ziva.''

Lopez sent her a soft look of sympathy again. ''How are you doing?''

She bit back the sudden urge to scream about the whole situation, and kept a fairly neutral face in place. ''I am all right.''

''How's the kid?'' Simmons asked, before receiving a punch to the arm from his teammate. ''Ow!''

'' _Lia_ ,'' Lopez told him with a glare. ''Her name's Lia, you jackass.''

He rubbed his shoulder and frowned. ''What did I say?''

Ziva smiled again to assure him she wasn't mad (not fully, anyway) ''She is okay,'' Ziva answered eventually. ''She misses her Daddy.''

Both their faces fell as a sad look etched its way onto their features. She could tell they were in the same boat as Lia. They were all just children, really, who loved and relied on Tony every day.

''How are you guys doing?'' She asked, knowing full well that they weren't exactly feeling chipper. But she suspected that not many people would have taken the time to talk things over with them, hence the tension and building restlessness she could feel radiating from both their bodies. Tony was absent, so she would have to be the one to act as their sounding board, to be their source of hope and wisdom. She would have Tony's back by watching theirs.

''I need my team back safe,'' Lopez said with sad eyes. ''I need to sleep.''

''I need to shoot something,'' Simmons added unhelpfully.

Ziva nodded. ''So, a typical day at the office, yes?''

They both smiled, like she wanted, and Lopez even let out a small chuckle. ''Pretty much,'' Simmons said. ''Except there's a bit more nausea than usual.''

''You haven't been going to that vendor down the street that Tony likes, have you?'' Ziva joked.

He scoffed. ''Not since the grilled beef sandwich I bought there got tired of being digested and ended up all over Dempsey's shoes. That put me off a little bit.''

Ziva frowned. ''You do not strike me as a puker, Kyle.''

Lopez snorted. ''He doesn't strike anyone as a puker. That's why it was so funny.''

''Well, not for Dempsey,'' Simmons added with a wince. ''He gave me hell for it.'' He frowned and tilted his head. ''So did DiNozzo, for that matter. I couldn't escape the puke-related jokes for weeks. He really is relentless, you know. He just needs the right ammunition, and then it's Taunt City.''

''Really? I had not noticed,'' Ziva replied, deadpan.

Lopez scoffed at Simmons. ''Yeah, I don't think Ziva's ever met our boss, Kyle,'' she drawled sarcastically.

He winced. ''Forgot who I was talking to.''

''Badmouthing our boss in front of his wife,'' Lopez said with raised eyebrows. ''That's got to be right up there on the list of dumb things you've done this week.'' She turned to Ziva with a knowing eye roll. ''Number one is spilling Agent Gibbs' coffee in the elevator, and then apologizing for it like five times.''

Ziva winced exaggeratedly. ''Oh, Lord.''

''I know.''

''Hey, that was an accident,'' Simmons said defensively. ''And I wasn't badmouthing our boss. I actually like the fact that he partakes in the office banter. I mean, he could be just like Gibbs, who just stares at you and says nothing. It's like he's looking right into your soul. It really freaks me out,'' he raised his hand and gestured back at Ziva. ''At least DiNozzo acts like a human.''

''Give him time.''

All three of them jumped and turned around to see the silver haired stealth artist that was Leroy Jethro Gibbs staring at them. He, naturally, had a coffee in his hand and a blank look on his face, and his eyes moved from person to person, scanning them and maybe even reading their minds, before his gaze finally lingered on Ziva, who offered him a small, half-smile in greeting. His eyelids twitched slightly in what may have been curiosity, but could equally have been irritation. She never was quite sure, even after all this time.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Lopez's fist dart out and make contact with Simmons again. ''Ow!'' He exclaimed under his breath, before whispering back. ''Stop doing that!''

''Morning, Gibbs,'' Ziva greeted.

There was that slight narrowing of his eyes again. ''What are you doing here?''

She saw no point in lying to him. ''I was hoping to do some digging.''

''Digging,'' he repeated, though his inflection didn't suggest it was a question, she treated it as one.

''Yes.''

He raised his chin slightly. ''Hm,'' was all he had to say on that front. ''Lia?''

She tilted her head in the vague direction of the lab. ''She is with Abby.''

He nodded. ''Upstairs. Two minutes.''

With that, he turned and made his way towards the elevators.

''I see what you mean about the soul-staring,'' Lopez muttered once he was seemingly out of earshot.

Simmons turned to her with wide eyes. ''I know! It's like I'm on trial for something and I have no idea what it— ''

''That goes for all three of you,'' Gibbs called back to them, causing them both to jump again and make slightly freaked out faces at each other.

''He has very good hearing as well,'' Ziva told them with a smirk.

Lopez frowned. ''You don't say.''

''What the hell does he want to see us for?'' Simmons asked, more to the point.

Ziva shook her head. ''You don't ask, you just follow.''

She pointed to where her old boss had just disappeared to emphasise her words, before setting off in that direction herself. When she heard no signs of her two friends following in her footsteps, she turned back to see two tired and confused frowns being aimed at her. She chuckled to herself, before snapping her fingers at them and waving them over. They got to their feet slowly but still looked far too sluggish for Gibbs' standards. They looked a little lost without their usual leader giving the orders.

''Come on,'' she called. ''Snap-snap.''

They gathered their phones and badges, but their frowns remained in place. ''Did she say snap-snap?'' Lopez asked in confusion.

''I don't know,'' Simmons replied honestly. ''I have no idea what's happening.''

''Do you think she means chop-chop?''

He let out a heavy sigh. ''I don't know,'' he repeated. ''I'm just going to follow the DiNozzo. That usually works.''

By the time they'd arrived in the Team Gibbs bullpen, the whole gang had gathered. There was Gibbs himself, of course, as well as McGee. The latter of which was standing in front of the plasma giving a presentation of something for his audience. The other man standing at his side was Owen Wilson, who was simply a rookie when they'd first met him back in 2009, but had now matured into a very capable agent who seemed to earn Gibbs' approval and trust quicker than most people had expected after the departure of Ziva and Tony. You always knew where you stood with Owen, and his focus never wavered.

The same could be said for Jessica Fox, the blond haired woman sat where Ziva used to. She was a cop through and through, and seemed to have the right kind of sheer determination and dedication that you needed to get by in this job. Ziva had become good friends with Jess over the years, and had often acted as her mentor. She would give regular advice on how to deal with a particularly grumpy Gibbs, or any other obstacles that might appear too large to overcome for a probie.

Ziva stepped into the small congregation of agents with a curt nod. McGee's voice trailed off, and he sent her a soft look of concern, and Wilson gave her a polite smile. She could hear Lopez and Simmons arriving behind her, and they both received a similar greeting. There was a certain tension in the room that Ziva couldn't quite decipher, but she knew it was there. The whole building seemed to have it.

It was Jess who spoke to her first. ''Ziva,'' she said, with sympathy colouring her tone as she got to her feet and gave her a short hug in greeting. ''I'm sorry I haven't called you. It's been crazy busy. How're you holding up?''

Ziva tried not to sigh too hard at being treated like she was in mourning. ''I am fine.''

''And Lia?''

This time she did sigh. ''She is all right, I suppose. But she doesn't know what's going on.''

''Neither do we,'' McGee said, bringing her attention to him. ''But we've got a plan.''

Ziva frowned. ''A plan?''

''Yes,'' he said, pointing a finger enthusiastically before making his way over to his desk without another word.

''Sounds like a great plan,'' Simmons cracked.

Jess and Lopez sent him a look of disapproval. ''Shut up, Kyle,'' Jess said on an eye roll.

Ziva looked at Gibbs with a curious expression, but he remained silent as he leant against his desk. The only answer she got to her unspoken question was the slightest of nods. It wasn't exactly a ground-breaking explanation, but it was all she needed to know. If he was in on this plan, then she already was, too. She trusted him more than anyone else in the room. Sometimes herself included.

''We've been trying to track DiNozzo and Dempsey's last known movements,'' Wilson began to explain, to Ziva more than anyone else. It felt a little strange to be in this position, with everyone looking for her stamp of approval, but she gave it her full attention. ''But it's proved to be a bit of dead end.''

''Dead end?'' Simmons bit out. ''We've been doing it all day, man, it's hopeless. Dead end is putting it politely.''

''For once, Simmons is right,'' Lopez agreed.

Wilson's eyes went heavenward momentarily. ''Yeah, okay, whatever. It doesn't matter. Whichever way you look at it, we needed to take a new approach, and McGee and I think we've got it.'' He looked over to McGee, who was now sat in his chair and typing away at his keyboard. ''McGee?''

The senior field agent looked up. ''Hm?''

''The case,'' Wilson elaborated.

''Oh, right,'' McGee put something up on the plasma, and everyone's attention turned to it within a second. There were pictures and profiles of about half a dozen men that Ziva didn't recognize. A look at Simmons and Lopez suggested they did, though. Their simultaneous frowns accompanied the spark of familiarity in their eyes.

''They're the contractors we were investigating,'' Lopez said after a few seconds.

'' _Are_ investigating,'' Gibbs corrected in typical fashion.

Ziva looked at her old leader. ''You think they could be behind Tony and Alex's disappearance?''

Gibbs shrugged. ''Makes sense.''

She frowned, and then looked to McGee. ''So what is your 'new approach', McGee?''

His features lit up slightly, like they always did when he felt like he'd made a breakthrough. ''We work the case,'' he said simply, before pointing at the screen. '' _Their_ case. We track them down, we follow _their_ last movements, and it might just lead us to Tony.'' He nodded to where Lopez stood. ''Me and Lopez can do some hacking, and some digging. And we can use the resources and man-power of two teams.'''

''One and a half teams,'' Simmons corrected.

McGee closed his eyes momentarily. ''Right. Sorry.''

''When did you guys discuss this?'' Jess asked Wilson, a hint of hurt in her tone at being left out.

Wilson winced slightly, but before he could answer, a familiar voice travelled across the room from the direction of the stairwell.

''That's a damn good question, Agent Fox.''

It was authoritative—like always—and it didn't take seven trained investigators to work out that the source of the voice was a little bit pissed. And sure enough, their heads all turned to see an angry-looking Vance chewing the life out of a toothpick. His eyes narrowed slightly when he looked at Gibbs, and then he turned and made his way down to the ground level, no doubt on his way to join the party. By the time he'd arrived, most of the agents in the vicinity had more or less stood at attention.

''Another question is why this little idea hasn't been pitched to me yet?'' He approached the plasma and gestured at the faces on the screen. ''Or why, when the entire US military can't find these guys, you think you'll suddenly have any luck?''

His eyes did nothing to hide his disappointment, but something told Ziva he was also genuinely curious. That maybe part of the hardened director was actually looking to be talked into this, as opposed to shutting it down with a firm hand. It was something that Wilson seemed to notice, too, because he was the first one to step forward.

''We don't need luck, sir,'' he said calmly, bravely. ''We just the right people on the job.''

Vance narrowed his eyes at the young agent. ''And you think you're the right people? You're all too close to this.'' His eyes shifted to Ziva, who still wasn't quite sure what to say about all of this. '' _Way_ too close.''

''That's not always a bad thing, Leon,'' Gibbs said, now standing fully. ''I say we've got a better chance of finding them if we're on the case.''

''And I say, we leave it to the people who are already giving up their time to look for them,'' Vance argued. ''You guys don't exactly have a track record when it comes to overseas rescue missions.''

Ziva thought back to her nightmare from the night before. ''Somalia,'' she muttered quietly, before she really knew what she was doing.

Silence fell as all sets of eyes landed on her, most of which held confusion at the mention of the North African country, but the more familiar faces had a haunted and nostalgic look etching their features. She almost never mentioned Somalia in front of anyone besides Tony, and she suddenly really, _really_ wished he was here. Just saying that word made her chest tighten and her stomach twist, even to this day. But she must have had a point. Somalia may have started out as something else, but it turned into a rescue mission.

''That was different,'' Vance argued, a little more gently than before. ''And you shouldn't be here. You're not an investigator anymore, this case doesn't concern you.''

Ziva felt her previous dark feelings make way for something far more simple. She felt fury start to bubble up in her chest. ''It doesn't concern me?'' She repeated, dubious. Her fists clenched without her really noticing.

''Oh, dear,'' She heard Simmons say quietly.

Gibbs stepped closer to her. ''Ziva,'' he warned, but she was already gone.

''It doesn't concern me?'' She repeated again, slowly, not caring for a second that this was her boss she was talking to. She felt all the anger, all the despair, all the helplessness from the past few days fight their way to the surface. If ever there was someone begging for it to be taken out on, it was Vance in that moment. How dare he say that. This was _Tony_ they were talking about, not some dead petty officer or missing marine. Her _husband._

Vance looked a little wary now. ''Like I said, you're no longer— ''

Her fist made contact with the nearest desk with a loud bang, and she no longer registered the wide eyes or shocked expressions on the younger agents' faces. ''The man I love is out there!'' She cried, feeling her lower lip tremble. ''The father of my child! And you are telling me that this doesn't concern me!''

Vance had taken a step back now, and Gibbs stepped into her line of fire to look right at her. ''Ziva,'' he warned again, but she found herself batting away his hand.

''No, no!'' She yelled. ''This is _my_ family we are talking about.'' Her voice wavered for the first time. ''And I will not let some cold-hearted bastard stand there and tell me it does not concern me!''

Gibbs gripped her wrists and managed to restrain her. ''Hey, hey!'' His no-nonsense tone got through to her eventually, and she felt a stray tear roll down her cheek. ''Think about your daughter. She needs her mom right now. She needs you to be strong. Okay?''

Ziva pictured Lia's face after she'd witnessed her mother's nightmare the night before, and the fear and panic she saw in her little eyes. Yes, he was right. He was always right. Lia did need her mommy right now, and she needed her to stay sane and calm. Ziva let out a small sob as she buried her face into Gibbs' chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gave her an embrace as warm as any she'd ever received from the ex-marine.

''I need him,'' she whispered into him.

A sigh escaped his lips. ''I know,'' he assured her. ''I know.''

''What if he cannot come home?''

''He will,'' Gibbs assured her without hesitation. ''I'm going to bring him home myself.''

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. The fire and determination in them gave her a sudden surge of hope. He was in full-blown war mode, and nothing was going to stop him now. Not even Vance, who had been staring quietly at the floor until Gibbs' words sparked life back into him again. His expression no longer suggested he was about to argue anymore, though. He had that look in his eye that led Ziva to believe that he may just be on board after all.

''What are you thinking, Gibbs?'' He asked, his tone professional.

Gibbs gave Ziva one last, fleeting look of solidarity, before turning to see a small army of special agents looking his way. ''I'm thinking,'' he said calmly, ''we find our men and bring them home.'' He gave everyone in the room a look to ensure they were listening to him, but it wasn't necessary. When Gibbs spoke, people listened, and he had a fully focused NCIS major response team (and a half) behind him every step of the way. ''Lopez. McGee.''

''Yes, boss?''

He gestured at the computers. ''Find these contractors.''

McGee was already typing. ''On it.''

Lopez nodded. ''Yes, sir.''

As she moved to join McGee, her partner stepped up. ''Where do you want me?'' Simmons asked, fully professional and focused.

Gibbs gave him a brief stare. ''These men have wives, girlfriends, parents. Go talk to them. Find out whether they've made contact.''

Simmons frowned slightly. ''The bossman had us do that already.''

All he received was an icy glare in response, but luckily Wilson stepped in. ''We'll do it again,'' he said, stepping up and slapping a file against the other man's chest. ''Right, Simmons?'' After a few moments of hesitation, Simmons seemed to accept the order.

''Um, right. Let's go do that.''

Gibbs nodded. ''Take Jess.''

''Got it,'' Fox said quickly, before glancing at Ziva and giving her hand a brief squeeze. ''Talk to you later,'' she whispered.

The three agents were gone in a blink, leaving the computer techs and the two figures of authority, who were now staring each other down with stern looks. For once, Ziva didn't feel like she was intruding in a heavyweight boxing match as she stood partially between the two men. This was her fight, too, and she didn't care how high it went or who she pissed off, something needed to be done. She knew full well that, had their roles been reversed, Tony wouldn't care how many rules he broke saving her.

Hell, the roles _had_ been reversed before, and Tony managed to bring her home.

''I'm guessing you need me to pull some strings,'' Vance said to Gibbs, his toothpick rolling along his tongue.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. ''One or two.''

''What kind of strings are we talking?''

He tilted his head slightly. ''The kind that get me a team of four marines, and a flight to Kabul.''

Vance considered the request, (or was it demand?), for a few seconds. ''You weren't kidding about bringing them home yourself, huh?'' This time it was easy to tell that he was in. There was always a certain way in which his eyes darted from object to object, aimlessly wandering around the room. It was one of Vance's only tells. ''It's hot in Kabul at this time of year,'' he said, and oh yes, he was _definitely_ in.

''It's always hot in Kabul,'' Gibbs added.

''Seems like a good time to have a veteran marine sniper lead a few training exercises in the area.''

Gibbs smirked with satisfaction. ''My thoughts exactly, Director.''

Vance nodded, straightened his jacket, and made to leave. ''I'm going to make a few calls.''

Ziva, who had been busy wallowing in embarrassment and shame at her little breakdown a few moments earlier, suddenly felt grateful enough to break an old Gibbs rule. ''Director?'' She called to him, and her softer tone almost seemed to surprise him as he spun back in her direction. ''I am sorry for my behaviour a minute ago. It was not me, and I may have crossed the line.''

He gave her a simple nod, but otherwise gave nothing away. ''I'm sorry, too. For causing any misunderstanding. This has been a hard few days for everyone here, but I should have put myself in the family's shoes. You have every right to be kept in the loop.'' He glanced at Gibbs sternly. ''We should _all_ be kept in the loop.''

Ziva turned towards Gibbs just in time to catch another smirk. ''Noted,'' the team leader replied.

After Vance had made the full journey back up his stairs, McGee looked up from his computer and spoke quietly. ''Hey, boss? Who are you taking?''

''Who am I taking where, McGee?''

Tim frowned slightly. ''You know, on the training exercise?''

''Four marines,'' Gibbs repeated unhelpfully.

Ziva could tell that McGee just about had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. ''No, I mean _as well as_ the marines. You usually take someone from the team with you, right?''

Gibbs took a long, steady breath. ''Not this time.''

Ziva turned to her former leader with her most professional face. She suddenly had an idea. It was risky—and probably foolish—but it made sense to her right then. ''Gibbs,'' was all she said, but she could see the warning look in his eyes before she had a real chance to plead her case. He knew exactly what she was thinking, of course. He was probably expecting it, too. And despite the fact she could _see_ his answer already, she wanted to insist.

''Don't even think about asking to come with me, David.''

She tilted her head in admonishment. ''It's DiNozzo. And if you will just listen to me— ''

''Not happening,'' he cut in. ''End of discussion.''

She threw up her hand in exasperation. ''Why not?''

He stared at her, stared _right_ through her, like he had done so many times over the years. She could tell he wasn't going to budge on this, but her cluttered and trouble mind wouldn't let go. ''If I have to tell you why, then you need a psych evaluation. Right now.''

As if on cue, the elevator behind him dinged, and out stepped Abby and Lia. The gothic scientist was holding the little girl's hand as they chatted excitedly about lord knows what. That didn't matter, just like Ziva's previous idea no longer mattered. All she cared about now was the fact that she could not leave her child. Not for one day. Not even to fly to other side of the world and rescue the man they both loved more than life itself. Gibbs raised an eyebrow, punctuating his point without even having to look behind him. Apparently his sixth sense extended to his team's children, too.

''She needs you here,'' he whispered to her.

Ziva nodded, closing her eyes and taking a deep, calming breath. She was fully composed by the time Lia spotted her and ran over in delight. ''Momma!'' The little girl cried excitedly, and Ziva squatted down to her level. ''Look what Aunty Abby gave me!'' She waved the little bracelet on her wrist around happily. ''It's my special Abby bracelet.'' She explained to her mother proudly.

''It is very pretty, _tatelah,''_ Ziva appraised softly.

''Abby's got a special Lia bracelet, too.''

Ziva kissed the top of Lia's head. ''She does?''

''Uh-huh,'' Lia grinned toothily. ''We're bestest friends.''

From behind the desk, Lopez clutched a hand to her chest. ''Aww. That's so cute.''

Abby beamed at her. ''I know, right? I've already called dibs on being her best friend. And she is just the cutest, prettiest, cleverest little girl in the whole world,'' she cooed enthusiastically, gently grabbing Lia's cheek. ''Aren't you, little Princess DiNozzo?''

Lia grinned proudly. ''I'm a angel.''

That earned a chuckle from everyone in the room, and even a smile from Gibbs. Ziva smiled fondly, too, but couldn't help rolling her eyes at the DiNozzo side of Lia shining through. She was starting to develop a personality alright, and Ziva had a suspicion that her little angel would be a force to be reckoned with as she got older. Her genetics more or less ensured it.

McGee looked down at Lia with a look of mock-hurt. ''Hey, Lia, I thought I was your best friend?''

Abby scoffed. ''Ha. As if.''

Lia shook her head, apparently having no time for tact. ''You're Daddy's best friend.''

McGee looked a little disappointed. ''I got the raw end of the deal then, huh?''

''It is not so hard,'' Ziva assured him. ''Just take him for a beer every now and then.''

''I do!'' McGee insisted. ''He just can't keep up with me anymore.''

''Daddy likes having a beer with Timmy,'' Lia explained to them seriously. ''Cause Daddy says it's like having a little brother.'' Everyone's face softened at her words, and Ziva could see McGee look down with an affectionate and perhaps even humble expression. ''That's why he's _Uncle_ Gee.'' She looked up at her mother, no doubt looking for confirmation. ''Right, Momma?''

She sent Tim a brief smile, before nodding down at Lia. ''That's right, baby. Did your father tell you that?''

''Yeah,'' she answered sadly, before spinning around to look up at all the adults around her with a hopeful expression. ''Have you guys talked to Daddy? Can we call him on the 'puter again?'' The spark in her eyes made Ziva's heart simultaneously warm and break. ''I wanna show him my Abby bracelet.''

They all looked at each other, and Ziva thought it looked like Abby and Lopez were about to burst into tears. She knew she was. But she couldn't think of a way to tell her daughter that, no, they couldn't talk to Tony. At least not in a way that wouldn't break her little heart. Her eyes burned with tears as she closed them to try and find some strength within herself. She must have given away too much, though, because when she opened them again Lia was looking at her with a concerned frown.

She reached out her small hand and traced the dried track of tears on Ziva's cheek left by her earlier tantrum. ''You been crying again, Momma?''

Ziva could only nod, before taking hold of Lia's hand and placing a soft kiss to her palm.

''Is it 'cause of Daddy?''

That was enough for Ziva to finally lose control of her tears, and she couldn't stop herself from letting them slip down her face as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug. The little girl was the only thing keeping her grounded in that moment, so she needed this more than Lia. After a few moments, she saw Gibbs crouch down and pat Lia on the shoulder gently, successfully pulling her attention away from Ziva.

''Hey, Gibbs,'' she greeted quietly.

''Hey, Kiddo.''

She made a sad face at him. ''Why is my mommy sad?''

He met Ziva's eyes, and she could tell he was deciding what to say—and what _not_ to say—to the mini-DiNozzo. When he looked back to Lia, his eyes were reassuring and warm. ''Your daddy went away on a big plane,'' he told her in an attempt to jog her memory.

It seemed to work. ''Uh-huh,'' Lia recalled quickly. ''With Dempy.''

He smiled briefly. ''That's right. But now they're both in a bit of trouble.''

''Are they hurt?'' Lia asked with a worried frown.

Gibbs looked Ziva's way again. ''We don't think so,'' he lied. ''But they need someone to go and help them come home.''

Lia turned back to Ziva. ''Are you gonna go, Momma?''

Ziva swallowed hard. ''No, sweetie, I cannot.''

''Your mom's got to stay here,'' Gibbs explained, bringing Lia's attention back to him.

''But who will help Daddy?''

Gibbs took hold of her hand and held her gaze. ''Remember when I told you your dad used to work with me?''

''Yeah. You were the boss.''

He nodded. ''I was. He doesn't work with me anymore, but we're still a team, your dad and I.'' After he waited a few moments to see if she understood what he was saying, he continued calmly. ''So, I'm going to fly away on a big plane and find him.''

Her face visibly brightened. ''So he can come home?''

''So he can come home.''

She turned to her mother, who sent her a small smile in return. The prospect of her dad coming home seemed to excite her more than anything ever had, and she practically bounced in delight. ''Will you tell him I love him?'' She asked Gibbs. ''And that I miss him lots and lots?''

''Sure,'' he vowed. ''But you can tell him all that yourself when I bring him home.''

Unexpectedly, even for Gibbs it seemed, Lia threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. His initial shock was soon pushed aside, and he returned the hug with a sigh. Ziva watched on as Gibbs sealed his pact—his potentially breakable promise—with an act of paternal love. She knew he would do everything in his power to find Tony, to find Tony _alive,_ and bring him home. A part of her still itched to go with her old boss, to drag the man she loved home and never let him go again. That part would have to be suppressed, though, because her job as a mother had never been more important. She felt a new light in her heart. It was bright and welcome, because it sparked new life.

She trusted Gibbs, and for the first time in forever, she trusted the world enough to feel hope.

* * *

 **A few new characters to deal with there, but I thought it might be a happier chapter for you lovely lot. I know there was no Tony, but if you stick around you may just get to read a happy reunion (you lucky lot). Thanks for reading and thanks ,again, for your patience. There won't be many more chapters but I will try to post them more regularly. MCMondo out**


	7. Chapter 7

**Two in quick succession. Eh? What's the world coming to?  
**

* * *

Liana DiNozzo's fourth birthday should have been a day of celebration. It should have been full of picture-taking, present-opening, family-gathering and general joyfulness. After all, the day that the precious bundle of joy entered Tony and Ziva's world was supposed to be remembered with fond nostalgia every year for the rest of their lives. And, although had Ziva planned on making the day as special as possible for her daughter, her own experience had been far from it. There was a little less of a sparkle in Lia's eyes whenever she received a new toy or item of clothing. She would always turn and look to her mother, and excited grin on her little face, but it was obvious that something was missing, and every warm smile Ziva gave her in return did nothing to relieve the cold feeling in the pit of her stomach.

It was really some _one_ that was missing.

There was still no word from Gibbs, even after the two teams had solved the case and tracked down the culprits. As it turned out, the contractor group stumble across a goldmine as they started work on building a new school in Afghanistan. A literal goldmine. With people generally being greedy creatures, this led to a collective plan to illegally cash in on the discovery. Unfortunately for one of the marines that was part of the team, his moral compass got in the way, and his threat to report the incident to the proper authorities led to him being killed off. When NCIS came into the picture, they went into hiding. Their attack on Tony and Alex was an act of desperation, as far as the Team Gibbs-Team DiNozzo collaboration could tell, and now they were working on the assumption that the two agents were being held hostage.

Mainly because that was the best-case scenario.

It had been days since that information had been relayed to Gibbs himself, and the lack of contact since then was starting to make everyone a little bit edgy. That was why Abby and McGee kept infrequently sending soft looks of sympathy and worry when they knew Lia wasn't looking. This made the general atmosphere of Lia's birthday far less relaxing than it should have been. The birthday girl was busy showing Ducky her new plastic tea set at the far end of the living room when Ziva felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. The depth of her thoughts caused the action to startle her a little bit.

''Sorry,'' Jess said quietly. ''I got you some tea.''

Ziva gave her a half-smile as she took the mug from her. ''Oh, thank you.''

''Don't mention it.''

Jess perched herself on the arm of the couch, and Ziva looked over to her daughter again with a sigh. ''They have tea parties where you come from, right, Ducky?'' She heard Lia ask enthusiastically. ''Did you and your friends do it lots?'' She handed the old Brit a plastic mug, along with its own little plate, and he smiled and nodded in thanks—him being the polite man that he was.

''Yes, indeed. I've had plenty of tea parties in my time,'' he told her in that special, wise tone of his. ''When I was a little lad—not much older than you, in fact—I used to join my mother on her daily visits to the neighbours. They would talk and drink tea for hours.''

Lia always showed keen interest in Ducky's stories, which never failed to amuse Ziva. ''What did they talk about?''

Ducky chuckled. ''Anything, and everything, my dear.''

Lia's smile grew. ''My mommy likes tea, too.''

''Yes,'' he acknowledged with a nod. ''Your mother and I have shared many pots of it over the years.''

''When you worked with her?''

Ducky made an impressed face. ''That's right. But she still visits me for the occasional brew.''

Lia looked over to Ziva. ''Momma's got tea right now.''

Ziva smiled at her with unfiltered affection. ''I just wanted to join in, _tatelah_.''

Lia's eyes widened slightly, and she held out a mug in offering. ''You can play, too.''

Jess' hand went to her chest. ''Aww.''

Ziva's heart warmed. ''Thank you, baby, but I need to put the dinner on in a second.''

''Is it pizza?'' Lia asked, her face lighting up.

''Of course. I would have nothing else for your birthday.''

Her smile grew. ''The 'Nozzo special?''

''Yes,'' Ziva confirmed. ''And it is as meaty and unhealthy as ever.''

Lia clapped her hands together and let out a delighted squeal. As everyone laughed at her reaction, McGee turned to Ziva with a knowing look. ''She her father's daughter all right,'' he told her from the other couch. ''I've seen that look on Tony's face a million times. What is it with DiNozzos and pizza?''

Ziva shrugged. ''I have never been sure.''

''Maybe it's the Italian roots?'' Jess suggested.

''Perhaps,'' Ziva considered with a frown. ''Or maybe he has simply had so much take-out over the years that pizza has become an integral part of his life.'' She glanced over at Ducky and Lia again. ''It seems to have embedded itself into his genes.''

Abby leant forward from the other side of McGee. ''I think it's adorable.''

He rolled his eyes. ''Of course you do.''

''What?'' Abby defended. ''It's so awesome to see her become more and more like her mom and dad. Don't you think, McGee?'' She hit his arm with the back of her hand to add emphasis. ''It's a miniature version of Tony and Ziva. It can't get much cuter.''

''I know,'' he assured her. ''You marvel at the concept every time you see her.''

She crossed her arms with a huff. ''Sorry, Mr Grumpy. I just find it cool.''

McGee sighed to himself. ''Me too. Honestly. But, I'm just dreading the day that Lia starts making up McNicknames.''

Ziva chuckled. ''It is probably only a matter of time.''

''The McNicknames?'' Jess asked with a frown.

''Yeah,'' McGee nodded. ''You know how it always sounds like he's reading from the McDonalds menu when he talks to me?''

Jess tilted her head in consideration. ''Oh yeah. Come to think of it, he did call you McFlurry the other week.'' Her smile suggested she found it amusing, though. ''And then there's McGoo, which he calls you a lot.''

Abby and Ziva both gave him a nostalgic smile. ''He rarely calls Tim by his real name,'' Abby told Jess.

''So you always know it's serious when he does,'' Ziva added.

Jess nodded in understanding. ''Yeah. I think Kyle has the same problem with him.''

''It's Tony's way of showing that he cares.'' Abby insisted, before gesturing at Ziva. ''Right? He used to drive you nuts all the time, but he's loved you since, like, forever.'' She gave Jess a serious look. ''Tell Kyle that, honestly, he shouldn't worry about it. It's only a problem if Tony shows no interest at all.''

McGee seemed to grudgingly agree. ''It's true. He used to make life hell for me, but he's as good a friend as you can ever have.''

''And you miss him when he's not around.'' Abby inserted, before realisation seemed to dawn on her face and she had to close her eyes in shame.

Ziva's heart fell slightly, and she was suddenly hit—for probably the thousandth time—by how much she did miss Tony. This brief discussion about his mannerisms and general way with people reminded her of exactly what had been painfully lacking in her life recently. It had been far too long since she saw that mischievous smile and that teasing glint in his hazel eyes. She could tell that everyone else was missing him, too, but they weren't exactly in the same boat as her. McGee and Abby were very close to Tony, and his team respected and relied on him enough to feel a real void when he was absent, but it was her and Lia that simply _needed_ him. The sudden silence enveloping them was thick, and she wished that they could easily fall back into their effortless chatter again. It fast became clear that this would not happen, however.

''I'm sorry,'' Abby said with a wavering voice, and it was suddenly apparent that tears had begun to gather in the corners of her eyes. ''I'm going to get some air.'' She got to her feet and left the room with a telling sniffle. It took approximately two seconds before McGee gave the two women an apologetic look and followed her with a sigh. From the other side of the room, Lia looked at the door with a small frown, before Ducky successfully regained her attention.

''The down side of wearing your heart on your sleeve, huh?'' Jess murmured to Ziva.

Ziva looked at Lia and felt her own eyes start to burn. ''Yes.''

''I just wish there was something I could do.''

She looked at Jess with soft admonishment. ''You have already done plenty. You all have.''

Jess face twisted slightly. ''I still feel kind of helpless, you know?'' Something in Ziva's expression must have shifted, though, because she suddenly made a face marred with embarrassment. ''Oh, my god. What am I talking about? Of course you know. I'm so sorry.''

Ziva's face softened. ''Don't be sorry. It is fine.''

That didn't stop Jess from sending her a look far more tender than Ziva was used to. ''How have you been sleeping?''

Ziva thought about dismissing the question, or even lying, but she knew Jess was far too perceptive to be fooled that easily. The truth was that her sleeping pattern had been shambolically sporadic. If it wasn't nightmares waking her up every night, it was her troubled daughter. She decided that it wasn't worth going into too much detail, but also that she should probably still be honest. ''Not very well.'' She answered eventually.

Jess leaned over and wrapped her arm around Ziva's shoulder. ''You poor thing.'' Ziva leaned into the comforting embrace, even if she did feel embarrassed at being so weak. ''It might not help,'' Jess told her. ''But I have this feeling—kind of like a Gibbs Gut feeling—that everything's going to work out.''

Ziva appreciated the attempt at reassurance, even if it didn't really help all that much. ''I hope you're right.''

''I usually am.''

Ziva smiled as Jess released her from the one armed hug. ''Well, you learned from the best.''

''You mean Gibbs?'' Jess asked with a frown. ''Or you?''

''Gibbs, of course.''

Jess shrugged. ''You've taught me a lot, too,'' she argued gently. ''So has McGee. Hell, everyone at NCIS has taught me a lot. You're all the best as far as I'm concerned.'' Ziva's eyes dropped to the floor as she found herself feeling oddly flattered by Jess' words. ''I think I've told you this before,'' she continued, ''but I find it incredible how much you guys have been through together. I mean, you've stuck together through thick and thin. You're not all on the same team anymore, but you kind of are.'' She frowned at herself. ''I don't know if that makes sense.''

Ziva often had similar thoughts. ''When you work with Gibbs and his team for long enough, it becomes more of a family than anything else.''

''An unbreakable family.''

Ziva scoffed inwardly. ''Lord knows we've come close to breaking enough times.''

''But, from what I hear, you always come back from it,'' Jess reminded her. ''That's why I think this will all work out.''

Ziva let her friend's words sink in. She supposed that, yes, there were numerous occasions where she thought she might never see any of her surrogate American family ever again. But she always came through it. There were even more times when her partnership with Tony seemed to have come to a catastrophic end, between him being blown up and her reactions to his supposed jealousy. But it always ended up back in the same place. A happier place, where she had a truly loving family, a man she could trust more than anyone, and real purpose in life. That wouldn't all necessarily change if Tony didn't come home, (God forbid), but it would mean she'd have lost the one man who had never failed to claw his way back into her heart. Now, of course, he was more or less part of her very essence, so he would never have to fight for her love again. He would always have it.

She just wished he was home so she could remind him of that.

 **...**

Hours later, when the guests had left and the DiNozzo Special had been eaten, Ziva sat on the couch with Lia. They'd decided to have a special birthday movie night to mark the occasion, and Lia seemed happy enough to lay back and relax after her busy day of being pampered. In fact, Ziva could tell that her little princess was growing more and more sleepy by the minute. The way her eyes drooped as she leaned her head against Ziva's side was a dead giveaway, but there was no point in suggesting an early night. Lia DiNozzo always wanted to see the end of the film. Perhaps it was simply because children loved happy endings. Maybe it was because they only believed in happy endings. Either way, Ziva knew that Lia always had her fingers crossed for the heroes of the story. A feeling she, herself, knew all too well.

''Did you enjoy your birthday, Lia?'' Ziva asked softly, trying her best to keep both their minds off the empty space on the couch. She felt the tired birthday girl nod against her.

''Mhmm.''

Ziva leaned down to kiss her head. ''You got lots of nice new things, yes?''

Another nod. ''Yes.''

''Do you like the movie Uncle McGee got you?''

Lia let out a heavy sigh. ''No.''

Ziva's eyebrows raised. ''No?''

''I don't like movie night without Daddy.''

Her voice sounded so small and sad that Ziva felt it rip a hole in her chest. So much for keeping her mind off Tony. It turned out that they'd both been having the same problem, and no amount of animated happiness from the TV screen was enough to change it. She wrapped her arm around Lia and gave her a gentle squeeze, feeling otherwise powerless. How was she supposed to brighten her daughter's smiles when she couldn't lift her own spirits? Sometimes she wondered if her naturally gloomy attitude was unhealthy for Lia.

''I know,'' she agreed in whisper. ''I miss him, too.''

Lia burrowed herself further into her mother's embrace, but before any further confessions could be made, Ziva's cell phone started buzzing from the coffee table in front of her. She frowned as she reached over to retrieve the device. Who could be calling at this time? She could only think of a few people, one of which was…

 _Gibbs._

Her stomach flipped. She wasn't sure her old boss' name had ever caused her to react like this before. She felt excitement, dread, nausea and panic all at the same time. She'd been waiting for this call for what felt like forever, but now that it had finally came she wasn't sure if she wanted to answer or not. She had to. Of course she had to, but she wasn't sure she could handle bad news very well in her current state of exhaustion. It would probably cause her to completely break down and stop breathing, which would be no good to her or Lia.

On the other hand, though, what if it was good news?

The prospect of that alone was enough to snap her out of her petrified shock. ''I have to take this, Lia. I will be right back.''

She gently shifted the little girl into a comfortable position against the cushions, before getting to her feet and taking the ringing phone into the hallway. Her legs felt weak, and her heart was on the verge of exploding, but she pressed the green 'accept call' button after a few more seconds of silent composure. She couldn't find her voice when it was time to greet the man on the other end of the line, but he never was one for pleasantries, anyway.

'' _Ziva?''_

She swallowed hard. ''Gibbs…''

'' _Got something that belongs to you.''_

Her heart stopped, and raced, and stopped, and raced as her hand came to her mouth. She felt herself sob quietly into the phone as relief flooded every cell in her body. She was vaguely aware of the tears, too, but she was too busy trying to ground herself enough to form words. Her head filled with so many questions that her brain physically hurt, and she fell back against the wall, needing something solid to support her because she felt dizzy suddenly. It was as if the relief had given her an almighty head rush. It all felt too surreal, if she was honest, and she half expected to wake up alone in her bed at any second. Her dreams had been cruel lately, after all, but would they ever be this cruel?

'' _You okay?''_

Ziva took a shaky breath. ''Tony?''

'' _Alive. Dempsey, too.''_

She felt a huge weight lift from her chest. ''How…'' was all she could manage.

Gibbs got it, though. Like always. '' _A little shaken up, but they'll both be fine.''_

''Where are you?''

'' _Just landed in Bethesda_.''

She was grabbing her car keys before she was even aware of it, and it was only then that she realised there were headlights shining through window on the front door. It was the dark silhouette appearing on the other side of the glass that made her stop in her tracks, though, because she would recognize that figure anywhere. Her hand started shaking by her ear, and she could practically _see_ the smirk on Gibbs' face as he spoke his next words.

'' _He should be home any second now.''_

Ziva closed her eyes. ''I don't know how to thank—''

'' _You don't have to,''_ he assured her. '' _It's my birthday present to Lia.''_

''Gibbs—''

He was in no mood for gratitude, apparently. '' _Make sure he rests.''_

And with that, he hung up. Ziva was vaguely aware of the sound of his tyres screeching as he pulled away from their drive, but her mind shifted to the more urgent matter: opening the door. And she did so—albeit shakily. And on the other side, there he stood. The much-loved husband and father. The adored team leader, and the man who seemed to light up the lives of everyone around him. Already, the house felt warmer, brighter, more like _home_ again.

Their eyes locked, and he looked so exhausted, but so alive. Her hand came to her mouth again as he stepped gingerly into the hallway. There were bruises and cuts across his face, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. Ziva felt another quiet sob wrack her body as she reached out to run her fingers over his jaw. It felt like something should have been said then, but neither of them seemed to need that. Instead, they did what they were always good at, and let their actions speak loudest. She threw her arms around him and felt his body tense slightly—probably through pain—before his arms came around her with equal urgency.

And just like that, her world was back to the way it should be. No more worry, no more pain, no more feeling sick every time she looked at the other side of the bed. He was home. Safe and sound. The feeling of him surrounding her brought a fresh batch of tears to her eyes, but this time she didn't feel embarrassed. This time there was no one around to judge her or look at her like she was a grieving widow. It was just him, and he was the only person who she didn't mind seeing her like this. Hell, he was the only one who could make her feel like this.

Well, maybe not the only one. ''Momma?''

She heard Lia's voice coming from the living room just as she pulled back from the hug. She gave Tony a soft kiss, before stepping to the side, shutting the front door, and turning to face the doorway where their daughter was most certainly about to appear from. And sure enough, quiet little footsteps echoed through the house and her curly hair could be seen poking out to look at them. Ziva's throat grew impossibly tight as she saw Lia's face light up in sheer surprise.

''Daddy?!''

Ziva felt a laugh escape her mouth as Lia let out a hysteric shriek and started running towards them. A look up at Tony's face told her all she needed to know. It crumbled as he squatted down to Lia's level and absorbed the forceful, flying hug from her. The slight wince of pain was clear, but not as clear as the tears in his eyes as he buried his face into Lia's shoulder and hugged her back as tight as he could. Ziva placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and felt it shudder slightly, as he started rocking back and forth. She had rarely seen him so emotional, but she supposed this was a reunion like no other. This small family needed each other. It was as simple as that. With any less than three, it struggled to cope. But now Tony was home.

Now they were whole again.

They stayed silent for a few moments, with nothing but the occasional sniffle being heard in the DiNozzo household. Ziva let herself feel relaxed—truly relaxed—for the first time in far too long, and ran a hand through Lia's curls as she leaned down to kiss Tony on the cheek. She was fairly certain Lia would be more than willing to cling on to her father all night, and probably for the rest of the week. And she couldn't blame her, really, because she kind of felt the same.

''You were gone for a really, really long time.'' Lia murmured against Tony's neck.

He met Ziva's eyes again, and she could see the emotion swirling in his. ''I know. I'm so sorry, Liana-banana.'' His voice sounded thin, and it signified the exhaustion and pain he was clearly feeling.

''You made Momma cry.''

He closed his eyes and grabbed hold of Ziva's hand. ''I'm sorry,'' he repeated.

Lia pulled back from the hug with a pout. ''You can never go away on a big plane again.''

His face softened even more as he looked at her. ''I don't plan to, Princess. Not for a long time.''

Once she was satisfied that he was being honest, Lia threw her arms around him again. ''I missed you.''

''I missed you, too,'' he returned with a waver in his voice. ''So much.''

Lia looked at him again, before frowning at the state of him. ''You hurt your face, Daddy,'' she pointed out for first time. His eyes closed again as she ran her fingertips over the largest of the cuts. ''Does it hurt?''

The concern in her little eyes made Ziva smile with pride, and Tony seemed to be showcasing a similar feeling with his own expression. ''Not anymore, sweetie,'' he assured her softly. ''Seeing you has stopped all the pain.'' His voice suggested otherwise, but Ziva suspected Lia couldn't tell. ''It hurt more not seeing you and your mom for so long. I was gone a lot longer than I expected.''

Lia looked down at his chest sadly. ''You missed my birthday.''

Tony kissed her forehead. ''It's not over yet,'' he reminded her. ''So there's still time for me to give you your present.''

Ziva looked at him with wide eyes. ''Tony, you cannot possibly have found the time.''

''It isn't much, but I think you'll like it. Come on, I'll show you in the living room.''

He picked up Lia and carried her through the house, never letting go of Ziva's hand as he did so. When they reached the couch, he placed Lia down on the cushions and gave her another kiss on the cheek. Ziva noticed the pained wince on his face as she sat down next to her daughter, but let it slide for now. After another wince, he reached into his pocket and produced a familiar bracelet. Ziva was very surprised to see it, and so was Lia, if her gasp was anything to go by.

''My Gibbs bracelet,'' she said delightedly. ''It worked!'' She looked up at her mother with wide eyes. ''Momma, it worked! It kept him safe!''

''Yes. It must be a magical bracelet, _tatelah_.''

Tony fiddled around with the wooden charms attached to it, and then seemingly found what he was looking for. ''There,'' he said, showing the newest addition to Lia. ''I found a little star to put on it. Pretty cool, huh?'' He looked at Lia with a smile, though it lacked the effortlessness of his usual grins. ''It's the North Star, so it will always lead you home.''

Lia took the bracelet and looked at it in amazement. ''It's really pretty,'' she said happily.

Tony let out a breath Ziva hadn't realised he'd been holding. ''I thought so.''

Ziva reached over to test the smoothness of the wooden star. ''Where did you get this, Tony?''

''It's a long story.''

Ziva looked up at him. ''I am anxious to hear it.''

His face softened considerably. ''You will. Just not right now. I don't really want to think about it right now.''

Her heart squeezed with sympathy. ''Okay.''

Lia let out a long yawn as she put the bracelet on her wrist. It was far too big, no doubt created for her to use when she was older, but that didn't seem to bother her. She got to her feet and lifted her arms up to her father. He needed no further invitation to pick her up and hold her against his chest. Ziva got up to join them, and felt an overwhelming surge of relief again as she wrapped arm around Tony's waist. His shoulder had always felt comfortable enough for her head, and so that's where she rested it.

''I think it's bed time, little lion,'' Tony whispered to Lia after kissing her cheek. ''Hmm? You must've had a busy day.''

''She has had a very busy day,'' Ziva told him softly.

This time it was Ziva who Tony kissed. ''I think we all need to tuck ourselves in,'' he suggested.

''No,'' Lia objected weakly.

His attention went back to her. ''No?''

''I wanna stay with Daddy.''

He gave Ziva a fleeting look of affection that melted her bones. ''I want to stay with you, too, princess.'' He told her softly. ''How about you sleep in the big bed with me and mommy? We have some serious snuggling to catch up on.'' He looked to Ziva for approval, and she let her smile do all the talking.

That suggestion seemed to be far more appealing to Lia. ''Okay.''

He lifted her hand to his mouth for a brief kiss. ''Happy birthday. Sorry I missed most of it.''

Lia smiled below her drooping eyelids, and that was enough of a signal for Tony to start carrying her back out into the hallway and towards the stairs. Ziva turned off the TV and DVD player, before leaving the darkened living room and following them. As they reached the foot of the stairs, Ziva tapped on Tony's shoulder. His face melted when he turned his head to look at her, and there were still tears in his eyes, which was how she knew his mind was still all over the place, too. She needed to show him he was truly home, though, and she could think of no better way than this. So, with warmth spreading through her chest, she stretched up to give him a long, lingering kiss. And maybe it was her way of showing _herself_ he was truly home as well, because she finally felt the last of the ice in the pit of her stomach disappear.

He rested his forehead against hers, as their daughter buried her face further into his shoulder. ''I love you,'' Ziva whispered.

''I love you, too.''

She reached over to thread her fingers through his hair. ''Don't ever do this to me again,'' she pleaded.

He kissed her cheek. ''I won't. I promise.''

Finally succumbing to her sleep-deprivation, she flicked off the light switch in the hall and held her husband's hand as she led her family up the stairs. Her _family._ The one that was back together, in full. She wasn't sure it had sunk in yet, really, but she knew it would do eventually. She also knew that she would finally be able to enjoy a peaceful and uninterrupted slumber for the first time in days and days. Her bed was full again. Her home was full again. Her daughter's smile would be full again. She suspected she would sleep like a log. And, although it briefly occured to her that she and Lia never finished the movie, she knew the little four-year-old wouldn't mind this time.

She still got her happy ending.

* * *

 **There you go, I told you a happy reunion might be happening soo. Thanks for reading, and keep an eye out for the next chapter. Or two. I haven't decided yet. It will be wrapped up fairly soon, though. Cheers, peops.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Apologies in advance for this one being a bit shorter. Hope you still enjoy it**

* * *

Tony was struggling to sleep. He was sure that the jet-lag was a factor, as well as the somewhat traumatic experience he had overseas, but he was usually a lot better at dealing with all that. No, this was something different, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He was home— _finally—_ so he really should have been as comfortable as ever. He had his wife and daughter in close proximity for the first night in far too long, so he should have felt warm and safe. God knew he was tired to the bone, but that didn't help him shake off the inexplicable restlessness he felt.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Maybe it was the desert leaving a lasting impression on him. The bullets, the blood, the sand, the desperate fight for survival. Maybe it would take his mind a little while to catch up with everything, like part of it was still stuck in that village half a world away while the rest of his body was home. Maybe he simply had far more to live for these days, and found every near-death experience just that bit harder to get over. Hell, maybe it was just a minor case of post-traumatic stress. What did it matter?

His open eyes shifted from the dimly moonlit ceiling and back to the two people sharing his bed. He felt himself relax as he looked at Ziva's peaceful face. His chest warmed when he noticed the protective arm she had wrapped around Lia, who was lying between them with her head resting against Tony's shoulder. They were both sound asleep after what he suspected had been a tough week for them. Guilt at his direct responsibility for their recent distress burned the back of his eyes again.

He decided he needed a drink. Nothing too special, though. A glass of water sounded fine, and he'd grown to appreciate the stuff a lot more recently. Dry, hot sand can really make you crave the simple refreshments in life. He gently moved Lia's head away from his shoulder before slipping out of the covers. He felt a stab of pain from the wound on his chest, as well as Ziva's eyes looking at him as he stepped out of the bedroom. He headed down the hallway to the stairs. By the time he'd descended them, poured himself a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen table, he could hear his wife's footsteps behind him as she quietly approached him.

He took a sip of water, and Ziva ran a comforting hand along his shoulder as he placed the glass back down. He felt her hair brush along his neck as she leaned over him to kiss his jaw. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh in appreciation. God, he'd missed her.

''Can you not sleep?'' she asked him, now resting her chin on his shoulder.

He shook his head. ''Apparently not.''

''Do you want to talk about it?''

He took hold of her hand and lifted it to his lips. ''I'm fine. Just needed a drink.''

She ran her thumb back and forth along his knuckles. ''I am here if you need me,'' she reminded him softly, kissing his cheek again. ''For anything.''

He leaned into her, immeasurably grateful for her presence. ''I know.''

''It is good to have you home,'' she murmured against his neck. ''I was worried you might not be able to come back.''

He frowned, and tried to turn his head to look at her. ''Hey,'' he all-but whispered through his suddenly tight throat. ''I always come home to my girls. You know that.'' He grabbed hold of her hand again to try and emphasise his point, but she was already shaking her head.

''You were gone for so long. And we hadn't heard from—''

''Ziva,'' he cut in gently. ''I'm home now, like you said. Everything's okay.''

She let out a heavy sigh, and ran her hand under his shirt and along his chest. ''I know,'' she agreed eventually. ''I know. I suppose it is just a little hard to get over.'' Her hand continued its journey across his torso until it reached the bandage on his left side. He couldn't hold back the sharp intake of breath the pain forced out of him. ''Tony,'' she started in a concerned voice. ''What is this?''

He tried to be dismissive, though he knew it would be pointless. ''Just a graze.''

He could feel her look of disapproval, even without looking at her, before she stepped around the chair to face him. He didn't bother protesting as she lifted up his t-shirt to investigate. When the wound came into view her heard a small gasp escape her lips. Her expression softened as their eyes met briefly, and she placed her fingers gently around the edge of the bandage, as if testing out how much pain he was really in. It didn't hurt too badly, but he must have winced because she looked at him in admonishment.

'' _Just_ a graze?''

He conceded her point with a tilt of his head. ''Well, it was still a bullet, I guess.''

Ziva frowned at him. ''Tony…''

''It's not that bad. Honestly,'' he insisted. ''They patched it up pretty well.''

She starting exploring all the other cuts and bruises on his chest and stomach, the level of concern in her eyes seemed to increase with every shift of her pupils. ''You look like you have joined a fight club.'' She raised her gaze to him again, and he tried to send her a look of reassurance. ''Who patched you up? Have you been to the hospital?''

He shook his head. ''No. I came straight home.''

''Maybe you should be looked over by a doctor,'' she suggested with a frown.

He shrugged. ''I was. In a manner of speaking.''

Her frown only deepened at that. ''When?''

''In Afghanistan,'' he began to explain. He wasn't sure how much of his tale he was willing to tell at this point, but the look in Ziva's eyes reminded him that if he couldn't tell her, he couldn't tell anyone. ''This family took me and Dempsey in when we were on the run,'' he continued eventually, trying his best to remain calm. ''We were both beat up pretty bad.''

''And they treated your wounds?'' Ziva asked softly, before pulling out a chair taking a seat in front of him. She kept hold of his hand, though, seemingly understanding that he might need her support to retell this. Of course, she was right.

''Yeah,'' he nodded. ''There was this kid,'' he squeezed out past the lump forming in his throat. He felt his eyes burn, and squeezed Ziva's hand a little tighter. ''Riyad. He was only three or four years older than Lia. He spoke really good English, actually, which was another stroke of luck.'' He smiled briefly as he remembered the kindness he was shown when he needed it most. ''His father used to practice medicine, so Riyad convinced him to help us.''

Ziva took that all in and nodded with a small smile. ''Sounds like a good kid.''

He felt his stomach drop. ''He was.''

'' _Was_?'' Ziva repeated in question.

''Is,'' he corrected hastily. ''He is a good kid.''

Her eyes narrowed in momentary scrutiny, but she seemed to let whatever was bothering her go fairly quickly. ''Was he the one who gave you the North Star charm?'' She asked after a few moments.

He couldn't help but smile at her intuition. ''Yeah. Riyad's grandfather used to be quite the craftsman, apparently, so he had an impressive collection of passed-down woodwork.''

She ran her thumb over his knuckles. ''It was kind of him to give it to you.''

''I know,'' he sighed.

''It shows you that the world is still full of good people.''

He nodded in agreement, and felt tears threaten to choke him again. ''But the bad people will always make them suffer,'' he murmured quietly.

His words made Ziva tilt her head to the side slightly, and her eyes narrowed again for a split second. Again, though, she didn't push him for any more details regarding the Afghan family. For that, he was grateful. ''How is Alex?'' She asked eventually.

Tony thought back to the hellish scenarios he and Dempsey had to endure together. He had never been more proud to call the man his senior field agent—or his friend, for that matter. Alex had been his rock throughout the entire experience. At times he maintained Tony's focus and belief. There was no doubt that returning home would never have been an option if it weren't for him. When it came down to the crunch, Dempsey was one hell of a fighter.

''He picked up a few small injuries,'' Tony told Ziva. ''Nothing major.''

She nodded with a look of genuine relief. ''I'm glad he was with you.''

''Me too,'' he agreed. ''I don't think I would have gotten through it without him.''

Ziva's expression softened again. The warmth in her eyes made him feel like crying, so he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm before he made a fool of himself. She got back to her feet and approached him again. When she was against his side, she leaned down to kiss him adoringly, much like she had before they went to bed. As always, the action grounded him and reminded him how much he'd missed home. He wasn't sure the reality of being back with his family had truly hit him yet, but he could still feel the relief. And the love. And gratitude.

''You should be resting, Tony.''

Her words weren't much more than a soft whisper, but he knew she was probably right. ''I know.''

She kneaded the tense muscles in his back as she leaned over to kiss his cheek. ''Come back to bed. Your daughter will be upset about the sudden lack of snuggling.''

His chest warmed at the thought of Lia's sleeping face, but the guilt he'd been battling with all night came back to haunt him. ''Do you think she's mad at me?'' His question was genuine, as was his curiosity, but Ziva still looked at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was.

Hell, hadn't he always been?

''Don't be ridiculous, Tony,'' Ziva answered reassuringly, though her tone was now a lot less gentle. ''I don't think Lia could ever be mad at you. For anything. She just missed you, and was worried about you.'' Her hands continued to work their way down his back, and he suddenly felt a lot more relaxed and—dare he say—sleepy. ''You mean the world to her. You know that.''

''She means the world to me, too.''

She chuckled quietly. ''I should hope so.''

He turned his head to meet her eyes again, and for some reason they never failed to make him feel happy. ''You both do,'' he added seriously. His stomach did a little flip at the sight of her intimate smile. Was it possible to fall in love with someone a little more every time you made them look at you like that? In that moment, he would have to say yes.

Ziva leaned down and gave him another warm kiss. ''Come back to bed,'' she repeated afterwards.

He let out a deep breath. ''Okay.''

She used one hand to retrieve his glass of water, and other one to gently pull his arm and lead him back towards the stairs. As they ascended them, he briefly thought back to the young boy, Riyad, and his father. He wasn't sure he would ever tell Ziva about what happened to them—at least, not until he'd gotten over the guilt—but he was happy he had mentioned their kindness and bravery to someone. They deserved to have recognition, even if it was just from an American stranger and his wife.

As soon as Tony and Ziva climbed back into bed, Lia snuggled up to both of them again without waking up. Tony kissed her cheek, and the tiny snore that left the little girl's mouth made both her parents smile with affection. It was that wonderful feeling that allowed Tony to feel truly comfortable for the first time that night.

He was asleep within seconds.

 **...**

The whole family slept in the next day. In fact, it was close to midday by the time Tony opened his eyes. Even though he was alone in the bed, he could tell it hadn't been long since Lia and Ziva had got up. Their beautifully distinctive smells were still heavy in the air. He could hear the sound of his daughter's giggles echo through the house, bouncing from wall to wall as it travelled up from downstairs. It made him smile—as it so often did—and he threw back the covers and headed towards the source.

He found them in the living room, laughing and enjoying themselves as they played a game of Jenga in their pajamas. He assumed that was another birthday present, and walked over to lie down on his side next to Ziva on the carpet, only feeling a moderate amount of pain as he did so. After successfully restacking the tower, she turned to him with a bright smile. He sent her a look of part amusement, part curiosity in return. When he turned to look at his daughter, she had already managed to retrieve a block without sending the whole thing toppling, and wasn't exactly feeling shy about showing how much that delighted.

''Yes!'' Lia exclaimed, absolutely beaming. ''I got it.''

''Very good, Lia,'' Ziva praised, before leaning forward for her own go.

Tony smiled at his wife's frown of concentration, and then looked back at Lia. ''Was this a birthday present, sweetie?''

''Uh-huh,'' she nodded. ''Jimmy gave it to me.''

Ziva turned back to him after another successful turn. ''It is surprisingly good fun,'' she told him. ''And Lia is very good at it. Aren't you, _tatelah?_ ''

Lia nodded again, grinning. ''I'm the best.''

Ziva chuckled. ''You are certainly better than me.''

Lia looked at Tony with excitement. ''Daddy, you play.''

Who was he to refuse? ''All right, but I should warn you, I'm the Jenga champion.''

''No, you're not!'' Lia argued with a giggle.

Ziva snorted. ''We're going to need to see some proof of that, Tony.''

He raised an eyebrow at her challenging expression, unable to hold back the smirk her teasing eyes could always elicit from him. ''Watch and learn, my ninjas,'' he said as he raised himself into a seating position. He stuck out his finger and moved it from block to block as he eyed up his potential targets. ''The key is to aim low,'' he told them, before carefully poking a block loose from the row just above the bottom of the tower.

''So, it is just like Dodgeball, yes?'' Ziva asked dryly.

He smiled briefly. ''I have no memory of showing you that movie,'' he replied as he nudged the piece of wood slightly further out.

''You didn't. I saw it on TV once.''

''Huh,'' was all he could say about that, because his block had finally come free—even if the tower did wobble a little bit. He held it up to showcase his brilliance to his two opponents. '' _Et_ _voila_!'' He said with a grin. ''I survive my turn and the tower is now weaker for you two,'' he gave Lia a wink. ''It's the stuff of champions.''

Lia narrowed her eyes, though her own smile never faltered. '' _I'm_ the champion,'' she insisted.

''Oh yeah? We'll let gravity decide that, princess.''

Lia frowned. ''Who is Gavity?''

Ziva let out another chuckle and reached over to hit Tony's knee with the back of her hand. ''Don't listen to him, baby. Take your turn.''

Her little eyes narrowed as she scoped out her next move. After a few moments, she smiled mischievously and looked up at Tony. He stuck out his tongue at her, causing her to laugh again, before watching with great interest as she reached down to nudge her piece of choice. She had chosen the same row as Tony, but wisely stayed away from the middle block. The tower wobbled again as she managed to free it with impressive precision.

Tony frowned and looked over to Ziva, who was simply staring at the still shaky Jenga tower and waiting for it to fall. It didn't, and she gave him a brief glance, her eyes full of pride. He had no doubt who she was routing for. When he looked back at Lia, she was waving the recently freed piece with a toothy grin of victory.

''Now the tower's wobbly for Momma,'' she said happily.

Tony nodded in agreement. ''And she's a Jenga probie. This should be fun.''

Lia giggled and Ziva sent him a glare. Before he had even registered it, though, she had swiftly reached over and swiped another piece from the side of the tower. It barely even shook. He felt himself frown, and looked back to see her regarding him with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk. He grunted in surprise, before catching some movement in his peripheral vision. He turned his head to see Lia now standing right next to him, leaning against his shoulder.

''Your go, Daddy,'' she reminded him, with another toothy smile.

He reached up and brushed a few loose strands of curls behind her ear. ''Get ready to be amazed.''

''Oh, lord,'' Ziva drawled.

He already had a piece in his sights. ''It wouldn't be the first time I've impressed you, Ziva,'' he shot back as he gently poked the block with his finger.

''I would not be so sure.''

He smiled at her response, but didn't let it deter him. He almost had the piece in his grasp when he saw a little arm stretch out to nudge his wrist. The tower crumbled to the ground with a noisy crash, and he could only stare at the rubble with his mouth hanging open. He heard a snort escape from Ziva as she lifted her hand to cover her mouth. When he turned to the culprit responsible for the mess, she was grinning at him with absolutely no shame.

''Liana DiNozzo, you just cheated,'' he accused.

She shook her head. ''No.''

He could still hear Ziva laughing behind him, but ignored it. ''What do you call that, then?''

''You lost,'' Lia told him.

His mouth fell open again in mock-offense. ''I did not! Someone who looked an awful lot like you pushed me.''

''Nu-uh!''

Ziva wiped at her eyes after her laughter had died down. ''Oh, you two are so alike.''

Tony looked at her, but couldn't hold back his smile. ''Except I don't cheat.''

''Daddy lost! Daddy lost!'' Lia chanted as she danced around him delightedly.

''You know what?'' Tony began.

''Daddy lost!''

''I think the punishment for cheating should be two solid minutes of tickling,'' he said thoughtfully.

She stopped abruptly in front of him. ''No!''

He raised both his hands and wiggled his fingers. ''Maybe even three minutes.''

Lia shrieked as he got to his feet and started running away from him. Ziva chuckled at them as they rushed out of the living room and down the hallway. He managed to catch Lia just before she reached the stairs, and picked her up to begin the tickle assault. He made sure he wasn't hurting her as she let out a squeal and shook in a fit of laughter. After a few moments, he showed mercy and stopped the tickling. He carried her back into the living room, where Ziva was now hunched over tidying up the Jenga set.

''Help me, Momma!'' Lia cried out breathlessly. ''It's the tickle monster!''

Tony dropped down onto the couch with her. ''No one can save you from the tickle monster.''

''My mommy can.''

He chuckled. ''Most likely,'' he conceded.

Ziva got to her feet with the game now safely back in its box. ''Now that your father is up, how about some breakfast?'' She suggested, before frowning and correcting herself. ''Or is it lunch by now? I have lost track of time.''

Tony shrugged. ''Let's just call it brunch to be safe.''

She chuckled at him. ''I like the way you think, Tony.''

''That's a first.''

Lia shifted in his lap. ''I'm really hungry.''

Come to think of it, Tony was starving, too. It felt like a long time ago since his last meal. ''Me too.''

Ziva put the Jenga box in the cupboard next to the fireplace, before turning back to them with a semi-affectionate roll of her eyes. ''Really? I have never known you two to be hungry before,'' she drawled. ''The world must have stopped spinning.''

''Your sarcasm is noted,'' Tony told her. ''I'll try not to be offended.''

Ziva chuckled softly. ''I'm not sure what we have in the kitchen. I doubt there is enough food to satisfy you DiNozzo's, though.''

Lia frowned at her. ''You're a 'Nozzo, Momma.''

''Am I?''

She giggled at her mother. '' _Ken,_ silly.''

Ziva hummed in consideration. ''Perhaps that explains why I am so ravenous.''

Tony ran his hand up and down Lia's back. ''How about we go to the diner near the park? Then you don't have to worry about cooking anything, Ziva, and we can have whatever we want.''

Lia's face lit up in excitement. ''Bacon and pancakes?''

''Sure,'' he nodded.

''That does sound nice,'' Ziva agreed.

Lia looked at her with wide eyes. ''They do blueberry, Momma.''

Ziva raised her eyebrows. ''You like blueberry pancakes, don't you, _tatelah_?''

''I _love_ them.''

Tony and Ziva both laughed at Lia's apparent enthusiasm. He couldn't resist the temptation to lean over and kiss her crown. ''Is that the plan then? Shall we dine at the diner?''

Lia clapped her hands excitedly. ''Let's go now!''

His eyes widened in amusement. ''You're still in your pajamas, sweetie.''

''So?''

''So you need to get dressed, baby,'' Ziva told her with a smile. ''We all do.'' When she approached them with an outstretched hand, Lia dropped down to the floor and took hold of it. ''And your daddy needs a shower,'' Ziva added, before waving her hand in front of her nose in exaggeration.

Lia found that immeasurably amusing, and Tony frowned at his wife's retreating form as she led their daughter out of the room. ''Hey!'' All he got was a wink as Ziva glanced back at him briefly.

''You're smelly, Daddy,'' Lia called back to him with a giggle.

''I love you guys, too.''

Despite their hygiene-related teasing, he smiled to himself as he got to his feet. It just felt so good to be back in their presence. He enjoyed nothing more than when they spent time together as a family, relaxing, playing and generally enjoying each other's company. He was looking forward to doing a lot of this over the coming weeks, seeing as he'd decided to take some time off. He knew he needed it, and he also knew Ziva and Lia needed it, too.

The guilt he'd been feeling all night had been somewhat suppressed, and the pain below his bandage felt numbed.

God, it was good to be home.

* * *

 **Still not sure how many chapters there's going to be. At least one more, though. Thanks for reading and for your much-welcomed support.**

 **On a seperate note, who else is delighted to see that Jelenamichel has started another case-fic? It's literally made my year. For those of you who don't know who that is, what the hell is wrong with you?! Check out all their work now! Reading it always makes me feel so useless in comparison, because it's so damn good.**

 **Cheers again, lovely people.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Last chapter, folks. Done. Over. _Fini._ Again, it's not the longest of chapters, but I really hope it's a satisfying ending. I wanted to add a bit of Gibbs' POV to get a view of the family from the outside. I hope it works.  
**

* * *

''Demps?''

'' _Hey, boss.''_

Tony slowly paced through his garden with the phone to his ear. ''I just thought I'd call to, you know, check in,'' he told Alex.

'' _Yeah? Well, I'm still a bit shaken, but I'm good. It's nice to be back.''_

Tony recalled him mentioning a visit to New York. ''You with your parents?''

He heard a heavy sigh over the line. _''Yeah. They've been great. But they're used to me being overseas and facing danger so…''_

Tony smiled. ''So they know how to deal with worrying.''

'' _Something like that.''_

After a few seconds of silence, Dempsey decided to do some checking in of his own. _''How are Ziva and Lia?''_

Tony looked back to the house, where Ziva was helping Lia to read a children's book on the decking. His heart warmed at the sight. ''They're good,'' he answered eventually. ''I Think I scared them a little bit, though.''

'' _They must be happy to have you home.''_

He smiled as Lia looked up from the book and gave him a wave. ''They seem to be.''

'' _I never really thanked him, you know,''_ Alex said, confusing Tony a little.

He frowned. ''Who?''

'' _Gibbs.''_

Of course. ''Me neither, come to think of it.''

'' _Something tells me he doesn't care about gratitude.''_

Tony chuckled all too knowingly. ''No. He's not a big fan of any form of verbal communication.''

'' _A man of action_.''

''Exactly,'' Tony confirmed. ''A bit like you, Demps.''

Alex scoffed. _''I wouldn't say that.''_

''Once a marine, always a marine,'' Tony reminded him. ''Isn't that how it goes?''

He was surprised when he heard nothing but silence on the other end of the line for a solid five seconds, and even moved the phone from his ear to check that the call hadn't disconnected. It was still going, and it was another few seconds after he held it up to his ear again before Dempsey spoke again. '' _You know,''_ Alex began a bit more quietly. '' _When I joined NCIS, I thought I'd be helping people. Saving lives, not taking them.''_

Tony felt his heart squeeze with sympathy. He remembered Ziva going through the same transition in the years after she'd arrived in the US, and knew that she valued life a whole lot more as time went on. There was a difference between Mossad and the US Marine Corps, but Ziva and Alex were both soldiers, and they both wanted to make the world a better—and safer—place. Nowadays they were just doing it in a different way.

''You do save lives,'' Tony assured him. ''You've saved mine a hundred times.''

Alex sighed. _''I killed a lot of people over there, boss.''_

Tony swallowed. ''I know. But, they were trying to shoot you, so it was hardly in cold blood.''

'' _I don't really mind about the contractors, or the local militia.''_

After more silence, Tony guessed what he was talking about. ''You couldn't have saved him, Alex.''

'' _Them,''_ Alex corrected bitterly. '' _I couldn't save either of them.''_

Something clicked inside Tony's brain, and he felt like slapping himself. ''God, I should've told you right away,'' he self-berated.

'' _Told me what?''_ Alex asked confusedly.

''Riyad's alive.''

'' _What?!''_ Alex's voice was barely a whisper.

Tony felt his eyes burn. ''Yeah. I got a call this morning. He was still critical last time I checked, but he's stable. It's another reason why I wanted to speak.'' He paused for a few moments. ''His dad didn't make it.''

He heard a sniff. _''See? I could've saved his dad. And now he's in hospital—''_

''Alex. I've been punishing myself about that for two days,'' he said honestly. ''It's pointless, okay? There was nothing we could do. They were both incredibly brave, and they saved both our lives.''

'' _But—''_

''Riyad wouldn't have made it without your CPR,'' Tony told him, tears now gathering in his eyes. ''You saved one life, Alex. A kid's life. In my experience, that counts for a hell of a lot.'' He took a calming breath and remembered the words his old boss had told him once, after a really, really bad day. ''You can't save them all. Okay? But, if you save just one life, then that's a whole world kept spinning for somebody.''

Another sniffle could be heard, as well as few shaky breaths. _''Is there any way to contact the kid? A letter or a phone call or something?''_

Tony was as proud of his senior field agent as he'd ever been. ''I'm working on it.''

'' _What'll happen to him now?''_

He ran a hand through his hair. ''I'm going to make sure he ends up in the best hands. There are some pretty great organisations that help orphans and refugees. Put them in a good school, a safe place to live, all that jazz.''

'' _Okay. Let me know if I can help in any way.''_

Tony smiled. ''I will.'' He looked up to see Lia waving him over and pointing at the plate of lunch that was waiting for him on the outside table. ''I've got to go, buddy. You get some rest, okay?''

'' _Okay. Thanks, boss.''_

''You never need to thank me.''

Alex scoffed. _''You're as bad as Gibbs.''_

Tony smiled as he hung up, and it felt like another huge weight had been lifted from his chest after the call. Most of the weight was gone now, in fact, but not all of it. Alex had pointed out that he hadn't got a chance to talk to Gibbs yet, and although Tony wasn't really thinking about that much since he got home, he still felt like it was something he should do. He knew Lia was as keen to thank him as anyone, and the old marine would never get mad at her for showing him gratitude. Perhaps it was time to visit a familiar old house.

 **...**

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was never good at sitting still. Laying back, relaxing and generally doing nothing was something he had never really been comfortable with. He couldn't just kill time at his own leisure. He needed something to work on, something to keep him busy and on his toes. Since he lost Shannon and Kelly, he had become a workaholic. He was never a big fan of that word—it was just his job, after all—but he knew that was how he was viewed by everyone, and wasn't too bothered by it. NCIS was full-time, and he loved his job almost as much as he loved his team. He was happy to dedicate himself to justice and public safety, and so he was never one to go looking for time off.

But Vance had insisted, and so here he was.

The weather was gorgeous, even if it went against his stern marine persona to admit it, and he felt like basement woodwork wouldn't cut it on a day like this. So, instead, he had impulsively decided to do some gardening. In his own back yard this time. He had spent a few days with Ziva and Lia in the DiNozzo house, and he was honestly surprised at how much he'd enjoyed the activity. His own garden needed a lot more work, and he silently berated himself for leaving it this long. Shannon always loved a tidy, colourful back yard, and the least he could do for her was to find the time to maintain it.

He placed his cold beer back onto the table, and got back to his feet. From the back porch, the amount of work needed appeared to increase with every look. In truth, though, it wasn't the same without the little DiNozzo helping out enthusiastically. She really had a way of brightening the place up, even when the sun shone with the intensity it had done all day. He sighed and headed back to the largest flower bed at the far end of the yard.

''Gibbs! Gibbs!''

He turned around, as startled as he ever got, and looked down at the source of the excitement. Lia's little legs carried her over the cobbles with a few rapid tip-taps, before she threw her arms around his legs in a hug. He frowned at the top of her head and looked up to see her parents arriving from the side of the house. He felt amusement tug at his lips.

''Hey, Lia.''

She stepped back and smiled up at him. ''Hi.''

''Didn't know you were dropping by.''

She reached up to push some wayward hair from her face. ''We wanted to come and say _todah_ for my present,'' she explained.

He frowned, only because he hadn't actually given her the present yet. ''What present?''

Tony and Ziva arrived, and the former stepped up and ruffled his daughter's hair affectionately. ''You brought my daddy home,'' Lia reminded him as she looked up at Tony with a grin. ''Me and Momma missed him lots, and now he's back!''

Gibbs met Tony's eyes, and his former senior field agent smiled gratefully. Ziva gave him a smile that struck him as much more shy, but no less thankful. He shook his head and looked aimlessly in to the distance. ''You guys really need to stop thanking me,'' he told them, completely aware that it was a bit unreasonable. But did they expect anything else? ''I've been saving both your asses for years.''

Ziva gave him a warning look. ''Language, Gibbs.''

Tony shot him a narrowed-eyed look of minor offence. ''Hey! We've saved your ass plenty of times, too.''

Ziva slapped his arm in exasperation. ''Tony!''

''What? It's true.''

She glared at him. ''I know, but do not say ass in front of the baby.''

It was obvious that Tony was holding back a smirk. ''You just said it, you know.''

''I'm not a baby!'' Lia protested.

Ziva rolled her eyes and muttered something foreign under her breath as Lia looked up at her curiously. ''I know you are not, sweetie. But you still can't say bad words.''

''Is ass a naughty word, Momma?''

Her mother gave her a stern look. ''Yes, it is. Do not say it.''

''Okay.''

''Good girl.''

Gibbs couldn't help but smile with pride at the Israeli woman for her parenting skills. He was all too aware that she doubted herself a lot before having Lia, but she was constantly proving herself wrong and rising to every challenge parenthood threw at her. The fact that Lia was such a well-behaved and gentle child was credit to the way she had been raised so far. Tony and Ziva were doing great. Pride was a familiar feeling when it came to these two, almost as familiar as the mischievous look he was met with when he looked back up from his surrogate granddaughter.

''Is this swearing situation another thing you need to save my ass from?'' Tony asked, swiftly receiving a pinch from his wife for his repeated slip-up. ''Ow! Butt. I mean save my _butt_ from.''

Lia giggled at her dad, a sound that made everyone's face light up. Gibbs leaned down towards her and rested his hands on his knees. The sparkle of life in her eyes was ever-present, and he wasn't sure when it had become so familiar and so uplifting, but he wasn't surprised about how easily it could make him smile.

''Your dad's silly, isn't he?''

She giggled again and nodded. ''Uh-huh,'' she agreed.

''But that's why you love him, right?''

Her face turned more serious. ''Yes.''

He kissed the top of her head. ''Happy birthday, by the way.''

She made a face that was a mixture of confusion and amusement, and looked so much like her mother that it made his old heart hurt a little. ''That was yesterday, Gibbs,'' she pointed out. ''My mommy says I gotsa wait a whole 'nother year,'' she added sadly.

He tilted his head with a shrug of his lips. ''Yeah? Well, I wasn't there yesterday.''

Her face lit up. ''Can today be my birthday, too?''

''Sure,'' he nodded.

She looked past him to the flower beds. ''Can I help you make the garden look all pretty?''

He looked up to the parents for permission. Tony simply shrugged and Ziva smiled knowingly and nodded. Lia's face was hopeful when he turned back to her. ''I'd like that,'' he answered eventually.

She clapped her hands in excitement and grabbed his hand. ''Thank you, Gibbs.''

Ziva sighed. ''Don't get your dress too dirty, _tatelah_.''

Lia, apparently not too concerned about her dress, giggled and tugged at Gibb's hand. He gave Tony and Ziva a smirk as he gestured to the house. ''Grab a beer. There's some fruit on the porch table, too.''

''We do not wish to impose ourselves,'' Ziva said politely. Gibbs simply raised his eyebrows at her, trying to communicate how much he didn't mind. She seemed to get the message. ''Thank you.''

''Grab me another beer while you're at it,'' he told Tony.

''I'm on it, boss,'' Tony saluted as he turned towards the house. ''Don't work her too hard.''

Ziva scoffed. ''Ha!'' She looked back to Gibbs. ''Do not let her work _you_ too hard.''

He smiled, but was being pulled impatiently by Lia before he could reply. She led him over to the flower bed at the back of the yard and he kneeled down on the mat he'd left on the ground there. Lia stood beside him, looking attentive and willing. He gave her a warm smile coloured with pride. He wasn't sure he'd ever met anyone quite as energetic and keen as Lia, but he guessed that with her genetics it was always going to be the case.

''You ready?''

She nodded. '' _Ken_.''

He pointed at the weeds sprouting from the soil. ''First, we've got to pull out all the nasty little ones. You see 'em?''

Another nod. ''The green, pointy ones?''

''That's right,'' he nodded, before holding her hand and placing it at the base of one of the weeds. ''You've got to pull it right from the bottom so the roots come out, too. Okay?'' She gripped the right spot and he gently helped her tug the plant from the soil. ''That's it.''

The roots emerged with it, and she beamed at him. ''Got it!''

He laughed with her. ''Yeah, you've got it.''

 **...**

Ziva watched on as her daughter helped Gibbs 'make the garden look all pretty', and felt an immeasurable amount of pride and love as she did so. Lia seemed to bring such a bright spark of life to everything she touched. She could make anyone smile—even Gibbs—and seemed to have a heart full of kindness. That can't have all came from Ziva, could it? She turned to look at her husband, and saw him smirk as he took a sip of his beer. No, she decided. It couldn't.

''I never thought I'd see the day,'' he mused.

She frowned. ''See what day?''

''The day when I'd have a kid,'' he elaborated. ''And that Gibbs would actually enjoy spending time with them.''

She narrowed her eyes. ''Are you saying it's no fun spending time with Lia?''

His head shot round. ''What? No, of course not. I'm just saying, you know, he's Gibbs! And that it's just weird how—'' he cut himself off when he noticed her smirk. ''You're a cruel woman, Mrs DiNozzo.'' His own smile told her she was forgiven, though.

She winked at him, before looking back to their companions at the bottom of the garden. ''I know what you mean,'' she assured him. ''I have similar thoughts all the time. I am grateful for him.''

''Me too.''

She smiled again after Lia's giggles could be heard travelling up the garden. ''And she adores him.''

Tony chuckled. ''She seems to adore everything. That smile must be constant by now.''

Ziva's face fell as she remembered their previous trauma. When Tony was gone, Lia's smile was anything but constant. She had been plagued by nightmares, and it didn't help that Ziva had been struggling so much, too. She didn't think she'd ever seen her daughter so sad before, and never wanted to again. She was still sorry that her baby had to witness her having her own nightmare on one occasion. Just the memory of her girl's tears made her heart break. She felt her eyes grow misty, and could tell Tony's were on her.

''Hey,'' he said as he leaned over to rest his hand on hers. ''Are you okay?''

She wiped at her eyes with her free hand. ''I am fine.''

''Your eyes beg to differ.''

She smiled briefly as self-awareness kicked in. ''I am just glad,'' she told him.

He seemed a little confused. ''That we have Lia?'' he guessed.

''No,'' she shook her head, but then quickly corrected her mistake. ''Well, yes. I am always glad of that.''

He smiled softly. ''I know.''

She composed herself with a few deep breaths, and kept her gaze focused on Lia, and how happy she was. It gave her strength. ''I am glad I never had to tell her that her daddy wasn't coming home,'' she said thickly, turning back to meet his eyes. His face melted at her words. ''And I am glad I never had to see her face when I did.''

The guilt that was suddenly marring his features made her chest hurt. ''God, Ziva, I'm so sorry.''

''It was not your fault,'' she assured him, gripping his hand for emphasis. ''Please know that, Tony. Please know that we are not mad at you for it.''

He lifted their conjoined hands and kissed the back of hers. ''I never want to make you guys mad.''

''You can never make us mad,'' she said, before altering her statement somewhat. ''Correction: you can never make Lia mad. You have pissed me off more times than I can count.''

He snorted, and she was glad he took it in good humour like she intended. ''I must've done something right, though.''

She gave him a smile, and leaned over to give him a brief kiss. ''Yes, you must have.''

''I knew you wouldn't be able to resist my charm,'' he said afterwards. ''Very few can.''

She tilted her head. ''Yes, it only took about nine years before I gave in. You are practically James Bond.''

His smile grew at her sarcasm. ''I know that was supposed to be a blow to my ego, sweetcheeks, but you know much I love being compared to Bond.''

''You love being compared to a British man who kills hundreds of people and treats women like a piece of meat?''

He shrugged. ''The similarities are uncanny.''

She gave him a look of disapproval. ''I hope there are no Bond girls on the side that I should be worried about.''

''Nope,'' he answered quickly, before meeting her gaze and holding it. ''I've found mine, and I'm sticking with her for good.'' He leant over to kiss her again. ''She's pretty great. And hot,'' he added.

She raised her eyebrows. ''Really? When will I get to meet her?''

He laughed loudly. ''The thing is, I've had a kid with her now, so I've got to stick around. That's not very Bond-like if you ask me.'' Her mouth fell, and she slapped his shoulder. ''But it's a million times better,'' he added sincerely. ''And my amazing, beautiful wife is better than anything I could ever have dreamed of.''

She _hmphed_ at him, even as flattery warmed her cheeks. ''No need to kiss my ass.''

''No, I'll do that later. When we're in private.''

She snorted and gave his hand another pat. ''Now you _are_ dreaming.''

He chuckled warmly, and they both returned their gaze to Lia and Gibbs. Ziva, once again, thanked whatever greater power allowed her to have this life. She never really expected to be this happy—at least not since she became an adult—but here she was. It was surreal, really, but it was the best kind of disbelief. And, sure, they may have their ups and downs, and their dangerous encounters, but she and Tony were maintaining the world they'd built for themselves, much like her father figure and her daughter were maintaining the garden they were all sharing.

She was at peace.

 **...**

After a few more hours of gardening, Lia was beginning to tire. Gibbs could see it, and he expected that her parents would probably see it, too. And, sure enough, Tony approached them with a knowing look, and crouched down to kiss Lia on the forehead and brush some dirt off her still mostly yellow dress. Gibbs finished planting the flowers he'd picked for this particular bed, and ruffled Lia's hair when he was done.

''I think it's time to head home, cutie-pie,'' Tony told her softly. ''Hm?''

She let out a yawn as she nodded. ''Okay.''

''Okay.'' Tony looked up at Gibbs with a small sile. ''She do a good job?''

Gibbs shifted his gaze to her and sent a look of appraisal. ''She did a great job,'' he said, holding his hand out for a high-five. She hit his hand with a grin. ''I think she deserves an ice cream.'' Her face lit up even more. ''Don't you, Lia?''

''Yeah!'' She replied delightedly.

Tony tilted his head with a serious expression. ''Not until after dinner, okay?''

Lia pouted at her father. ''But that's ages away!''

''We're having it as soon as we get home,'' he argued.

She crossed her arms in a huff. ''The sun will be all gone by then.''

Tony frowned, but Gibbs could see the amusement in his eyes. ''You don't need it to be sunny to have an ice cream, baby.''

''Yes, you do,'' she insisted.

Tony sighed, and his eyes fell to the collection of colourful flowers laying on the ground next to Lia. ''What have you got there, sweetie?'' he asked, no doubt trying to take her mind off ice cream. For a few moments, at least.

 _Nicely played,_ Gibbs thought to himself.

''Flowers for Momma,'' Lia explained, perking up a little.

Tony smiled at her proudly. ''Oh yeah?''

She nodded. ''They are really pretty flowers,'' she explained, ''and my mommy's really pretty, too.''

He chuckled. ''I can't disagree with that.''

''So I wanted to gives them to her, 'cause I love her lots and lots.''

Tony's face melted slightly, and Gibbs knew exactly what he was feeling because, honestly, he was feeling it, too. This kid broke both their hearts. ''I think she'll really like that, Lia,'' Tony said seriously.

She picked two of them up and offered them to him. ''You want some, too?''

Tony sniffed, but shook his head as he laughed softly. ''No, thank you, baby. You really are a sweet little thing, aren't you?''

''Yes,'' she agreed, forcing a chuckle out of both men.

Tony kissed her cheek, and Gibbs got to his feet, ignoring how much his bones seemed to creak as he did so, and touched her shoulder briefly. ''I'll go find you that ice cream. It might have to be popsicle, though. Not sure I have anything else.''

Lia grinned up at him, and Tony rolled his eyes at the action. ''I don't think she minds either way, Gibbs. Am I right, Lia?''

''Can I have both?'' she asked innocently.

Gibbs smirked. ''Maybe when we finish the garden, kiddo.''

He went into the house and looked in his freezer for any treats he might have for Lia. He smiled when he found that, yes, she would indeed have to settle for a popsicle, only because he knew she would be all too happy to have anything cold and sweet. When he headed back to the porch, he froze in the doorway at the sight before him.

Ziva was almost in tears as Lia offered her the small bunch of flowers she'd carefully picked out for her. Tony watched on, his pride and love radiating from like a bright beacon, and Gibbs could have sworn his eyes looked a little watery as well. Little Lia's face was serious, and she looked up at her mother hopefully as she passed the flowers over. Ziva beamed and squatted down to hug Lia tightly and pepper her face with kisses. Tony rested his hand on her shoulder just as Gibbs saw her say the words _'I love you, too,'_ to her daughter.

The whole thing was too much for his ancient heart.

And there was that feeling again. Pride. Unfiltered and unwavering. It was almost enough to make him cry, too, but he couldn't let it go that far. He knew how hard it was—how exhausting and heart-breaking and emotionally draining it was—to try and find the right balance between their line of work and their family. He had spent years trying to find it himself, only to realise he may have got it wrong when it was too late.

But they had found it.

And he hoped to God—honestly, wholeheartedly hoped—that they would never take it for granted.

He had a good feeling the DiNozzos would have their happily ever after.

* * *

 **Kinda short, but hopefully kinda sweet. I just wanted to finish this, really. Now I can start working on other stuff (I always find it easier to start stuff from scratch, rather than continue an existing story). Thank you so much to those of you who stuck with this all the way through. I know it took quite long, and that I overloaded it with fluff a bit, but I really appreciated all the reivews. Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **P.S. I am planning on doing a companion piece/ one-shot about Tony's time in Afghanistan. Not sure when, but keep an eye out for it. Cheers, beautiful people.**


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